Former President Yoon Suk Yeol received the same sentence at his appellate trial on Wednesday that he did at his first trial: a suspended prison term for violating the Public Official Election Act. According to 경향신문, the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 2-1, presided over by Judge Baek Seung-yeop, dismissed the appeal and upheld the original ruling of one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years.
The court found that Yoon, as a candidate nominated by a political party in a presidential election, failed in his duty to present accurate information to voters. The panel said the election system meant to guarantee representative democracy had been undermined and the legitimacy of the process damaged. It concluded that the lower court's findings of fact and application of the law contained no errors.
Why it matters
Under the election law, a sentence of at least one million won in this case, once finalized, would void Yoon's election as president. It would also require the People Power Party to return the full 39.7 billion won in election expenses it was reimbursed for the 2022 presidential race, 경향신문 reports. The ruling therefore carries consequences beyond Yoon himself, reaching the finances of the main opposition party.
The two statements at the center of the case
The charges stem from remarks Yoon made while he was the People Power Party's presidential candidate. At a December 14, 2021 forum hosted by the Gwanhun Club, he said he had never introduced attorney Lee Nam-seok, formerly of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's central investigation unit, to former Yongsan tax office chief Yoon Woo-jin. Yoon Woo-jin is the older brother of former prosecutor general Yoon Dae-jin, a longtime associate of the former president from his prosecution days. The former president had faced allegations that he used influence in the investigation of a bribery case involving Yoon Woo-jin. The appellate court held that the statement about the lawyer introduction amounted to the publication of a false fact, MBC News reported.
The second charge concerns a January 17, 2022 interview at the launch ceremony of the Buddhist Leaders Forum. There, Yoon said he had been introduced to Jeon Seong-bae, known as "Geonjin Beopsa," by a party official and had never met him together with his wife. KBS News reported that the appellate court deemed this statement false as well. The special prosecution team led by Min Joong-ki, which investigated allegations involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee, indicted Yoon last December, concluding he made the remarks out of concern over falling approval ratings.
The first trial convicted Yoon on all counts and handed down the suspended sentence. Wednesday's decision leaves that outcome in place at the appellate level.
What happens next
The case now moves to the Supreme Court, whose ruling would finalize the sentence. If the court confirms a fine of one million won or more, Yoon's election becomes void and the People Power Party must repay the 39.7 billion won in reimbursed campaign costs.
