Setback for Lee as top court overturns not-guilty verdict

South Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a ruling that found a presidential frontrunner not guilty of violating election law, potentially scuppering Lee Jae-myung's chances of running in the vote.

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The June 3 election will decide who replaces impeached ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office over his ill-fated declaration of martial law.

Former opposition leader Lee was cleared by a lower court in March of making false statements during a previous campaign, removing a major legal hurdle to his latest bid.

But the Supreme Court has now ordered a retrial that could see Lee, who is leading in the polls, barred from the election.

The top court ruled there had been a “legal misunderstanding” resulting in his acquittal.

Lee’s statements during his unsuccessful run for president in 2022 were “deemed false claims concerning matters of sufficient significance to mislead voters in assessing the candidate's suitability for public office”, the court ruled.