Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, addresses the crowd from a podium set up for an anti-government rally in central Seoul, Saturday, a day after being convicted of violating the election law. Newsis

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is intensifying its anti-government campaigns following a court ruling on Friday that found its leader, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, guilty of election law violations. The party condemned the verdict as an attempt to "suppress the opposition."

The guilty verdict seems to have strengthened the opposition's demands for an investigation into allegations of election meddling and other accusations involving President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee. In response, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has ramped up its criticism of the DPK's actions, focusing on Lee's legal troubles and accusing the opposition party of undermining the rule of law.

A day after being convicted of election law violations, Lee joined protesters at an anti-government rally, defiantly declaring, "I will never die."

Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Seoul, Saturday, to show support for Lee Jae-myung, who was sentenced to a suspended prison term for making false claims during a parliamentary audit and a media interview in 2021 while campaigning for president. If the verdict stands, Lee faces the possibility of being stripped of his National Assembly seat and barred from running in elections for up to 10 years, which could effectively end his political career.

Speaking from a podium set up for the protest, Lee Jae-myung directed his criticism at the president and his administration. He vowed not to yield to any legal pressure and urged the crowd to "stand up resolutely" against the president.

"The country belongs to the people. All the powers of the country should be used for the people," Lee said, saying it seems the country now belongs to the president, the first lady and a political broker implicated in the election meddling scandal.

Urging the protesters to fight against the abuse of power, Lee said, "I, Lee Jae-myung, will never die. Democracy will never die. The future of this country will never die."

However, Lee refrained from directly criticizing the judiciary. He currently faces three additional trials concerning corruption and other criminal charges.

Other DPK leaders were more outspoken in their criticism of the judges, with floor leader Park Chan-dae condemning the ruling as a "crazy decision."

"It was a crazy ruling under a crazy administration. It was a politically-motivated ruling made only to collaborate with the prosecution aiming to remove (Yoon's) political opponents," he said.

Not far from the protests, tens of thousands of conservatives gathered for their own rally, calling for the imprisonment of the opposition leader. Waving Korean flags and chanting slogans like "lock him up," they demanded Lee's immediate arrest.

Protesters hold an anti-government rally in central Seoul, Saturday. Newsis

The political discord seen in the streets is expected to intensify in the coming week, as the DPK leader is set to appear before a panel of judges at the Seoul Central District Court on Nov. 25 for a verdict on additional charges. He is accused of pressuring a Seongnam city government employee to provide false testimony in his favor during a court case in 2018.

Among all the charges Lee faces, the case involving the accusation of coercing a government employee to lie under oath is considered to be the most challenging. In September 2023, a judge said that evidence "appeared to confirm" the criminal charge, even though an arrest warrant against Lee was denied.

Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling PPP and former minister of justice, expressed his belief that a guilty verdict is almost certain.

"When the arrest warrant was dismissed on Sept. 27 of last year, it was recognized that the charge of subornation of perjury was admissible. So many people believe that a guilty ruling would be inevitable," Han said in a social media post, adding that Lee could be put in jail on the day of the ruling.

He also warned that threatening the court by holding such a massive rally could make the situation worse for Lee as judges would see that as an attempt to obstruct justice.

PPP spokesman Park Sang-su also said, "What the DPK should do now is not engage in false agitation on the streets to distract the public, but instead adopt an attitude of humility and wait for the court's decision."

However, the DPK vowed not to succumb to any pressure or demands.

"Power comes from the people. The Democratic Party of Korea will fight to the end with the people against the Yoon administration's attempt to end Lee's political life," Rep. Kang Yu-jung, the DPK's floor spokeswoman, said in a statement, Sunday.

Speaking to reporters, Rep. Kim Yun-duk, the party's secretary general, also claimed that the guilty verdict on Lee's election law violation stemmed from what he called a "lack of understanding" by the judges and dismissed speculation about the party's potential leadership change.