The Supreme Court is set to make a ruling on Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's election law violation case Thursday.
The top court's full bench will deliver the ruling at 3 p.m., which will be televised live to the public. Lee will not appear in court, as a defendant's attendance is not mandatory at the top court.
The ruling comes after prosecutors appealed a high court ruling last month that acquitted Lee of lying as a presidential candidate during the 2022 election campaign and overturned a lower court sentence of a suspended prison term.
The Supreme Court received the politically sensitive case just over a month ago, and Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae referred it to the full bench. For the ruling, the court will likely either confirm and finalize the high court's ruling or send it back to the lower court if it finds fault.
The court appears to have sped up proceedings for the case, considering that a guilty ruling could affect Lee's eligibility to run for office, ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
Those who receive a fine of 1 million won ($700) or more for violating the election law are restricted from running for office for five years.
If the Supreme Court confirms the lower court's acquittal, Lee would be cleared from a major legal hurdle for his presidential bid. If it sends it back to the high court, Lee will likely face questions over his eligibility to run for office. (Yonhap)
