Seoul: The Supreme Court has upheld a two-year prison sentence for Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), finalizing his conviction for accepting illegal political funds and leading to the loss of his parliamentary seat.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the top court confirmed an appellate court ruling, which found Kweon guilty of violating the Political Funds Act. He accepted 100 million won (approximately US$67,300) in January 2022 from a Unification Church official who was allegedly seeking favors from the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The Supreme Court also upheld the forfeit of 100 million won from Kweon, stating that there were no errors in the appellate ruling.
Under South Korean law, lawmakers are stripped of their seats in the National Assembly if they receive a finalized fine of 1 million won or a heavier punishment for violating the Political Funds Act. Kweon, a five-term lawmaker and once a close confidant of Yoon, had denied the charges, claiming he only met the church official for a meal and did not accept any money. However, the Seoul High Court dismissed this defense, citing evidence from special counsel Min Joong-ki's team.
Kweon had also contested the indictment, arguing that the special counsel's mandate was to investigate corruption allegations linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee, Yoon's wife. Nonetheless, the appellate court rejected this argument. Kweon served as the PPP's floor leader until June 2025 before being arrested in September and indicted the following month. Special counsel Min's team had originally sought a four-year prison term and a 100 million won forfeit for Kweon.
In related cases, the Supreme Court finalized decisions on other defendants connected to special counsel Min's investigations. The court upheld the acquittal of Kim Ye-seong, an associate of the former first lady, on embezzlement charges. Meanwhile, Lee Jong-ho, another associate of Kim, received a confirmed 14-month prison term for offering to assist a stock price manipulation suspect in obtaining a lighter sentence in exchange for money.