Seoul: A Seoul district court has convicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges related to election law violations, a move that could cost the main opposition party nearly 40 billion won (US$27.3 million) in reimbursed campaign expenses from the 2022 presidential election. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon to 18 months in prison, with the sentence suspended for three years, after he was found guilty of making false statements as the People Power Party (PPP)'s presidential candidate ahead of the 2022 election.
According to Yonhap News Agency, if Yoon's conviction is upheld through the appeals process and results in a fine of at least 1 million won or a jail term, the PPP will be obligated to return the 39.7 billion won reimbursed in campaign expenses by the election watchdog following Yoon's victory in the 2022 election. Yoon's legal team has announced plans to appeal the decision, citing multiple errors in the ruling.
Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team had previously indicted Yoon on charges related to false claims made during a December 2021 press event, where he asserted that he had never introduced a lawyer to a former tax official. Yoon was also accused of lying in a January 2022 interview by denying that a party official had introduced him to shaman Jeon Seong-bae and denying meeting Jeon with his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
The court's decision was based on the acceptance of the special counsel's argument that Yoon had indeed introduced the lawyer to the former tax official and had met Jeon through his wife's introduction. The court emphasized the severity of the offense, noting that false information had been disseminated on a matter of significant voter interest.
Min's team had initially sought a two-year prison term for Yoon. This conviction adds to the legal challenges faced by the former president, who is currently serving a life sentence following his February conviction for leading an insurrection during his unsuccessful martial law bid in December 2024. Yoon is appealing that ruling as well.