Lee Byung Jin of the Democratic Party of Korea Loses Parliamentary Seat After Supreme Court Conviction for Election Law Violation

Lee Byung Jin, a Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker who was sentenced to forfeiture of his seat in both the first and second trials for failing to disclose assets during the 22nd general election, has had his conviction finalized by the Supreme Court of Korea.
On the 8th, the Supreme Court of Korea’s First Division, presided over by Justice Shin Sookhee, dismissed Lee’s appeal and upheld the previous verdict convicting him of violating the Public Official Election Act and the Real Estate Real Name Act.
During the 2024 general election, Lee was accused of violating the Public Official Election Act by failing to report certain assets, including a mortgage on land in Sinbong-ri, Yeongin-myeon, Asan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, as well as some stock holdings and related loans.
In the first trial, Lee was fined 7 million won for violating the Public Official Election Act and 5 million won for violating the Real Estate Real Name Act. He appealed, but the appellate court rejected his appeal. With the Supreme Court’s dismissal of his final appeal and confirmation of his conviction, Lee will lose his parliamentary seat. Under the Public Official Election Act, a conviction with a fine of 1 million won or more results in the invalidation of election results.
Lee argued in the lower courts that the stock holdings in question were not subject to disclosure because the accounts were jointly used with another person. However, the court did not accept this argument.
The Supreme Court stated, "There was no error in the lower court’s judgment that would have affected the verdict, such as failing to conduct necessary fact-finding or violating the principles of logic and experience beyond the limits of free evaluation of evidence."
hwlee@fnnews.com Lee Hwan-joo Reporter