The leader of South Korea's main opposition party was on Friday found guilty of violating election law and sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years.

The Seoul Central District Court found that Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, had made a false claim about a land development project while serving as mayor of the city of Seongnam in 2021.

If upheld, the sentence would also see Lee stripped of his parliamentary seat and preclude him from running in any elections for the next five years, including the next presidential election in 2027.

Lee to appeal 

"This is a conclusion that's impossible to accept," said Lee, announcing that he would be appealing the verdict. "There are still two more courts left in the real world, and the courts of public opinion and history are eternal."

Lee, a firebrand liberal who narrowly lost the 2022 election to conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, faces three more trials after being indicted on several criminal charges including bribery and corruption, which he denies.

Prosecutors argued that Lee made dishonest claims in order to distance himself from the Seongnam land development controversies, and the court agreed that he had spread false information which may have prevented voters from making an informed choice in the election.

Outside the courtroom in the South Korean capital, police separated Lee's supporters and critics, funneling them into separate streets and preventing any major clashes.

South Korea: who is Lee Jae-myung?

A former child factory worker who suffered an industrial accident as a school drop-out, Lee has played up his rags-to-riches tale in his rise to political stardom by, but his career has been overshadowed by a series of scandals and rumors of links to organized crime.

In January, Lee survived a knife attack when he was stabbed in the neck and underwent surgery.

His party then went on to win a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in April, dealing a blow to President Yoon and his ruling People Power party.

He was widely expected to challenge for the presidency in 2027 but would be ruled out if his appeal is unsuccessful.

mf/lo (AP, AFP, Reuters)