Top court to rule on Thursday on DP presidential candidate's election law violation case

The Supreme Court will rule this afternoon on the election law violation case of the Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung.

Lee will not appear in court, as defendants are not required to be present.

The ruling follows an appeal by prosecutors against a high court ruling last month that had overturned an initial guilty verdict.

The top court decided last week to have the full bench oversee the case and reviewed it at an unusually fast pace.

Lee was convicted of making false statements during the previous presidential campaign, including denying ties to a key figure involved in a land development scandal in Seongnam during a media interview in 2021.

He is also accused of having made false claims that there was pressure from South Korea's land ministry to rezone a research institute site in the Baekhyeon-dong area of Seongnam.

The ruling will be broadcast live on TV and the court's YouTube channel.