[News Today] DP CHAIR'S TRIAL VERDICT

[LEAD]
Today, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung faced his first trial verdict on charges of subornation of perjury. Lee Jae-myung has been prosecuted for five cases, this is one of those. Similar to the sentencing on November 15th for violating public office election laws, thousands rallied outside the court, both supporting and opposing Lee.

[REPORT]
The court held another sentencing hearing for Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung who has to stand trial for five different cases.

In this case, he is facing charges of subornation of perjury.

Lee was indicted for saying in 2018 when he was running for Gyeonggi governor that he had been framed regarding his alleged connection to a case involving an individual pretending to be a prosecutor.

He is accused of urging Kim Jin-seong, a witness, to provide false testimony in a trial on the case,

Lee Jae-myung vs. Kim Jin-sung
I’m not saying that we should reconstruct that case.
(I came out first for campaigning. I don't know who was connected with KBS in the camp.)
Let's just say that we heard about that.

In the final argument hearing held in September, prosecutors sought a three-year jail term for the DP chair, saying that he had ordered perjury to cover up his lies.

Lee has denied the accusations, saying that he never asked Kim to make false testimony.

It is impossible to watch Monday's sentencing in real-time, since the live TV coverage of the hearing is banned, as it was for the November 15 sentencing hearing.

On November 15, Lee was given a suspended prison term in the first-trial verdict on charges of violating the election law, which is heavy enough to bar him from running for public office.
Now ten days later, another legal verdict is out.

Near the court on Monday, Lee's supporters held a rally claiming his innocence. At the same time, a separate rally was held to call for stern punishment against the main opposition leader.

The court restricted public access and beefed up security as a contingency step.