Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was put on trial for teaching favorable testimony, was acquitted in the first trial.
The Seoul Central District Court today (25th) acquitted Lee, who was charged with perjury.
However, Kim Jin-sung, who was charged with perjury, was fined 5 million won after some testimony was recognized as perjury.
The court saw no direct evidence to admit that representative Lee Jae-myung was involved in the process of perjury by Kim Jin-sung.
The court judges that it is difficult to say that CEO Lee knew or could have predicted that Kim Jin-sung would perjury in advance, and that it is not enough to say that he requested false testimony based on the contents of the call.
However, Kim explained that punishment is inevitable as he testified about facts he did not know or experienced after receiving Lee's request.
Representative Lee said he is grateful to the court for restoring truth and justice after the sentence, and said he will do his best for the better life of the people.
After the sentence, supporters of the Democratic Party cheered by calling out Lee's name, and some lawmakers who attended the scene also shed tears.
Representative Lee was put on trial in October last year on charges of demanding false testimony from witnesses after he was indicted on charges of publicizing false information in connection with the so-called "prosecutor impersonation" case in 2018.
The prosecution demanded a three-year prison term, the maximum sentence according to the sentencing criteria, saying that representative Lee's pressure led to false testimony in court.
On the other hand, CEO Lee has pleaded not guilty, saying, "I just told you to tell me the truth, as you remember."
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