Main opposition Democratic Party chair Lee Jae-myung says he will appeal a court decision to fine his wife one-point-five million won, or around one-thousand-100 U.S. dollars, for violating the Public Official Election Act. 

Lee expressed deep regret over the Suwon District Court handing down such a verdict for his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, on Thursday. 

Kim was indicted in February and accused of covering the cost of the meal in August 2021 for a total of six people using a Gyeonggi Province corporate credit card, when her husband served as the provincial governor. 

Ahead of the court’s verdict earlier in the day, Lee wrote on his Facebook account that his wife has become a sacrificial offering at the end of what he termed a “vengeful” investigation following his defeat in the presidential elections.