Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was acquitted in an appeal related to the Public Official Election Act (charges of false fact disclosure), will visit the fire-affected area of 'Gyeongbuk Andong' on the 26th.
The Andong area is one of the regions severely affected by large-scale forest fires. The death toll from the simultaneous fires that occurred across the country since last weekend is estimated to be at least 23. In Gyeongbuk, 18 people died from the fires in Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongdeok, and Yeongyang, while four members of DAEWON lost their lives while extinguishing a fire in Sancheong, Gyeongnam.
In response, the representative plans to visit the Andong multipurpose gymnasium, a shelter for disaster victims, to console the affected residents.
A Democratic Party official noted, 'The representative will visit the Andong region today,' and added, 'There will be no party leadership meeting.'
Earlier that afternoon, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 6-2 (Director General Choi Eun-jung, Lee Ye-seul, Jung Jae-o) overturned the original sentence of one year in prison with two years of probation imposed on the representative for violations of the Public Official Election Act, and acquitted him.
Following the court's ruling, the representative criticized the government for focusing its resources on his trial rather than on public welfare.
The representative told reporters, 'The prosecution and this regime should have used the resources they spent manipulating evidence and fabricating the case against Lee Jae-myung for wildfire prevention or improving the lives of the people,' adding, 'Even at this moment, wildfires are spreading somewhere, someone is dying, and the economy is deteriorating.'