section_path: Legal issues
section_name: Legal issues
paragraph_text: Legal issues
  
  In 2018 during the Gyeonggi gubernatorial election, Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol filed a complaint against the Twitter account @08_hkkim for publishing false information on elections. The police reported that they believed the account belonged to Lee's spouse. Prosecutors dropped the case, citing a lack of evidence.
  
  In July 2020, the Supreme Court found Lee not guilty of breaching campaign law during a television debate for Gyeonggi provincial governor. In the debate, Lee denied that he had attempted to admit his brother to a psychiatric hospital. The Court and its lower courts determined that the allegation was true. However, deferring to freedom of expression during political campaigns, the Supreme Court said Lee did not "actively" distort the facts – and therefore did not breach campaign law – when he lied. Lee was represented by several lawyers including two former Supreme Court justices.
  
  Lee has been at the center of an investigation into corporate donations and favors during his mayoral administration of Seongnam since 2022. In response, the opposition has accused the government of trying to distract from their failures by launching an investigation against the leader of the opposition.
  
  In January 2023, he was summoned to the prosecutor's office for questioning, marking the first time a politician had been questioned about a criminal case since the country's transition to democracy. In February 2023, a motion for Lee's arrest by the prosecution was rejected by the National Assembly in an unexpectedly close vote, with 30 members from Lee's party voting in favour of the motion in a secret vote.
  
  In March 2023, Lee was indicted on bribery, corruption, breach of trust and conflict of interests charges. He was accused of colluding with a group of private property developers when he was mayor of Seongnam, to help them make more than 800 billion won from the project, whilst simultaneously inflicting enormous losses of nearly 490 million won on the city. He was also accused of receiving or demanding more than 18 billion won from four companies in bribes to fund a football club in the city, in return for favours in his capacity as the Mayor. Lee said the indictment was "not surprising at all" and denied the accusations. He claimed the investigation was politically motivated and led by the Yoon Administration to take down a political opponent.
  
  In September 2023, Seoul prosecutors sought another motion to arrest Lee on corruption charges for giving special favours to a land developer in the Baekhyeon-dong neighbourhood and sending 8 million dollars to North Korea through the Ssangbangwool Group. On 21 September, the Democratic-majority National Assembly approved the motion, with a 149–136 vote, with dozens of his own party members voting to arrest him. On that day, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon issued an arrest warrant for Lee, marking a historic first, as the motion passed during a heated plenary session with 136 lawmakers opposing it. He was released after the Seoul Central District Court rejected the arrest warrant on 27 September.
  
  In June 2024, Lee was indicted again, on bribery charges in an alleged scheme to transfer funds to North Korea and facilitate a visit to Pyongyang. He was accused of asking an underwear company to illegally transfer $8 million to North Korea between 2019 and 2020, during his tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province, to facilitate a visit. Lee denied the charges.
  
  On 15 November 2024, Lee was convicted by the Seoul Central District Court of making false statements during his 2022 presidential campaign in violation of the Public Official Election Act and was given a one-year suspended prison sentence over his denial of acquaintanceship with Kim Moon-ki, a former executive of Seongnam Development Corporation that was behind a corruption-ridden development project in Seongnam. On 25 November, Lee was acquitted by the same court of instigating a witness in a related case to commit perjury. Lee appealed the Public Official Election Act verdict between 21 November 2024 and 27 March 2025, the Seoul High Court acquitted Lee. On 1 May, the Supreme Court overturned Lee's acquittal and returned the case to the Seoul High Court.
  
  On 24 March 2025, Lee was fined 3 million won ($2,043) by the Seoul Central District Court for defying an order to testify in the Seongnam Development Corporation case for a second time. On 26 March, the Seoul High Court overturned Lee's conviction for Public Office Election Act violation. On 28 March, Lee was again fined 5 million-won (US$3,407) by the Seoul Central District Court for refusing to testify in the Seongnam Development Corporation case for a third time.