South Korea presidential race rocked by court ruling, resignations | Singapore Breaking News & Latest Updates

South Korea presidential race rocked by court ruling, resignations — East Asia South Korea's Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, center, and other justices are seated in the courtroom to attend a hearing to hand do...

East Asia

South Korea's Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, center, and other justices are seated in the courtroom to attend a hearing to hand down a ruling on the election law violation case of the Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Yonhap via AP)

SEOUL: South Korea's top court cast doubt on Thursday (May 1) onfrontrunner Lee Jae-myung's eligibility to run for the presidency, while the resignations of the prime minister and finance minister shook the interim government in place since December'smartial law.Education Minister Lee Ju-ho took over as acting president, the third since the martial law decree, barely a month before a snap election. The vote was called after theConstitutional Courtremoved formerPresident Yoon Suk Yeolfrom office over his brief martial law attempt.The election race was rocked by a Supreme Court ruling that could threaten the candidacy of former opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung, who has dominated all opinion polls.The court overturned an earlier ruling that had cleared Lee, saying he had violated election law by publicly making "false statements" during his 2022 presidential bid. It sent the case back to the appeals court and ordered it to issue a sentence, which could bar Lee from running for office for up to five years.

Thursday's Supreme Court ruling could undermine Lee Jae-myung's credibility to be on the ballot and further deepen divisions in South Korea after months of political turmoil."The defendant's remarks ... were judged to be false statements on matters important enough to ruin voters' accurate judgement on the defendant's eligibility for public office," said Chief Justice Jo Hee-de in the verdict.While the Supreme Court moved unusually fast to consider Lee's election law case, it gave no deadline for the appeals court, which usually takes months to revisit rulings. It was unclear if a decision would come before the June 3 election.Lee Jae-myung, who has denied any wrongdoing, said he had not expected the verdict to play out this way but pledged to follow the will of the people.Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, said the ruling was a blow to Lee and the liberal-leaning Democratic Party."The appeals court will decide whether to disqualify him to run for office or not, but the Supreme Court in effect found him guilty ... Moderate voters, 10 per cent of the total, will be swayed by this news," he said.

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