Gov. Lee Kwang-jae of Gangwon Province, who has been suspended from duty since his inauguration due to a conviction for bribery, has been allowed to return to office, as the Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that the current law barring convicted local government chiefs from duty until a Supreme Court ruling is unconstitutional.
Lee, 45, a close confidant of the former late President Roh Moo-hyun, was elected Gangwon governor in the June 2 local elections.
Since his inauguration, however, Lee has been suspended from taking up his post as the Seoul High Court sentenced him in mid-June to a six-month suspended jail sentence and a fine for taking bribes from two local businessmen during the Roh administration.
As a result of Thursday's ruling, Lee will be immediately allowed to return to duty, but his actual term of office will depend on the Supreme Court's decision on the appeals case.
If the Supreme Court upholds Lee's jail term or sentences him to a fine of 1 million won or more, he will be deprived of his gubernatorial post.
1 | Seoul city takes flak for emergency text alert on NK's rocket launch |
![[INTERVIEW] Asia expected to be key driver of ESG growth: Deloitte ESG Partner](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/87802ead2db34304ae4b653f8982cbb4.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Lee Jun-hyuk unrecognizable in 'The Roundup: No Way Out'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/77a9da6df7da4284adbee249a87307c1.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
