(EDITORIAL from Korea JoongAng Daily on June 22) (opens original article in a new tab)

A court ruled that former Gyeonggi Province Vice Gov. Lee Hwa-young lied about a soju and salmon party at a prosecutors' office, sentencing him to four months in prison, which weakens the Democratic Party's push for a special counsel to investigate alleged judicial misconduct.

• Former Gyeonggi Province Vice Gov. Lee Hwa-young was sentenced to four months in prison for perjury over allegations of a salmon and soju party in a prosecutors' office.
• The Suwon District Court found that the alleged gathering never took place, citing inconsistent testimony from Lee and consistent accounts from others present.
• The ruling undermines the Democratic Party's (DP) argument against South Korea's criminal justice system, which had used Lee's claims to push for a special counsel to investigate fabricated prosecutions.