The one-year prison sentence of South Korea’s opposition leader Lee Jae-Myung, issued in 2022 for making a “false statement,” has been overturned. The appellate court in South Korea made the decision regarding the case in which Lee Jae-Myung was convicted for making a false statement during his 2022 presidential campaign. According to Yonhap, the Seoul High Court reviewed the appeal filed in the case where Lee was sentenced. The court rejected the conviction against the opposition leader on the grounds that Lee’s statements at the time could not be considered as false statements. As a result, the legal obstacle preventing Lee from running as a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections has now been removed, while he continues his position as a member of parliament after the ruling. In a statement to the press, Lee expressed his thanks for the court’s decision based on truth and justice. He also expressed hope that the prosecution would reconsider their actions and avoid wasting national energy further. Lee, who leads the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), is considered a leading candidate in the upcoming presidential race to be held within 60 days, particularly if the Constitutional Court approves the impeachment of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol. The Seoul District Court had previously found Lee guilty of making a false statement in December 2021 when he claimed not to know Kim Moon-ki, a former manager involved in a corruption-tainted “scandalous” development project. Lee was sentenced to a 1-year deferred prison term for violating the Public Officials Election Act by making a false statement.