Warning against lies

Gov. Lee's political fate will depend on top court's ruling

Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jaemyung may lose his gubernatorial post if the Supreme Court upholds a lower court ruling that found him guilty of violating the election law. on Friday, the Suwon High Court ordered Lee to pay a 3 million won ($2,500) fine for making a false claim in the lead-up to last year's local elections.

The decision overturned a district court ruling that acquitted Lee of all four criminal charges brought against him. The charges included abuse of power as Seongnam mayor to forcibly get his older brother admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 2014.

The appeals court, however, concluded that Lee lied during a live-broadcast TV debate before the election by denying his involvement in confining his mentally-ill brother to the hospital. Lee was found guilty of misleading voters with false information.

The ruling is a clear warning against any candidates who have usually denied unfavorable allegations made against them by lying to the public. In fact, many aspirants for elected positions have so far thought little of such lies. From now on, any candidate is required to be careful not to tell a lie.

Of course, Gov. Lee should still be given the benefit of the doubt because he is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Therefore his political fate will depend on a final ruling by the top court. If it upholds the high court decision, he will lose the governorship. If the court overturns the lower court ruling, he can keep his post.

Lee, a presidential hopeful, has touched off controversy over the many allegations related to not only the election, but also his personal ties with an actress. He must realize that he should no longer spread false information. Otherwise, he will have to pay the price for lying.

Any politician, lawmaker or civil servant need to take the court's decision more seriously. As old saying goes, honesty is the best policy. So they should put a top priority on integrity so that they can win the trust of the people. The ruling must serve as an opportunity to usher in a new political culture.