Lee Jae-myung, the representative of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 26th regarding the not guilty verdict he received in the appellate trial (second trial) for violating the Public Official Election Act, "I would like to first thank the court for delivering a proper ruling based on truth and justice."
The representative met with reporters after the appellate trial held that afternoon at the Seoul High Court in the Seocho district of Seoul and stated, "On one hand, it is truly absurd that so much energy has been used to bring about what should be a natural outcome, and that national capacity has been drained."
The representative remarked, "If the prosecution and the current administration had used the resources they spent manipulating evidence and fabricating the case against Lee Jae-myung for preventing wildfires or improving the people's lives, what a better world this would have been," adding, "Even at this very moment, so many people are gathered here with concern, and yet somewhere, wildfires are spreading, someone is dying, and the economy is deteriorating."
The representative expressed, "I hope the prosecution will also reflect on their actions and cease wasting national resources on this kind of thing," and added, "Isn’t it ultimately a matter of natural justice?"
Meanwhile, the 6th Criminal Division (Director General Choi Eun-jeong, Lee Ye-seul, Jeong Jae-o) of the Seoul High Court overturned the original ruling, which sentenced the representative to one year in prison with a two-year probation for violating the Public Official Election Act, and declared him not guilty.