On the 26th, the Seoul High Court determined that Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, could not be punished for publicly disseminating false information after stating that he changed the land use of the Baekhyeon-dong site at the request of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. This reached a conclusion contrary to that of the first trial, which deemed the statement guilty.
The Criminal Division 6-2 of the Seoul High Court (Director General Choi Eun-jung, Lee Ye-seul, Jeong Jae-o) stated on this day during the appeals trial regarding Lee's violation of the Public Official Election Act that he could not be punished for the charge of having stated that there was coercion from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport regarding the change of land use at the National Assembly audit in October 2021.
The court noted that "considering all the evidence, the meaning of the Baekhyeon-dong statement is that the land use change was made reluctantly in accordance with the legal request of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and it cannot be interpreted as the defendant was compelled to change the land use based on mandatory provisions."
It then stated, "The city of Seongnam can acknowledge that it had been under long-term pressure from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport regarding the change of use, and while it could be seen as an exaggerated statement of considerable pressure, it cannot be considered false."
Earlier, the first trial deemed Lee's Baekhyeon-dong statement guilty. The first trial court viewed that Lee’s remark about being pressured by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport regarding the land use change was made with intent to disseminate false information.