Court acquits S. Korea opposition leader

A South Korean appeals court on Wednesday acquitted main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung of an election law violation, reducing the risk that he may not run in a potential early presidential election.

After a session of about 100 minutes, the Seoul High Court overturned a ruling by a lower court in November that handed Lee a one-year sentence, suspended for two years, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Lee, leader of the Democratic Party, or DP, was charged with breaking the country's election law by making false statements about a real estate development project in Seongnam during the 2022 presidential election campaign. He served as mayor of the city near Seoul in 2010-18.