Yoon Suk Yeol, the former president of South Korea, was sentenced to a suspended prison term for violating election laws during his candidacy.
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 21, led by Judge Jo Soon-pyo, sentenced Yoon to 1 year and 6 months in prison, with a 3-year suspension on July 27.
The court found all charges brought by the special prosecutor's team, led by Kim Geon-hee, to be guilty.
The court determined that Yoon's statement during a December 2021 Kwanhun Club debate, claiming he had not introduced lawyer Lee Nam-seok to former Yongsan Tax Office chief Yoon Woo-jin, constituted the dissemination of false information.
Additionally, Yoon's remarks during a January 2022 interview at the launch of the Buddhist Leaders Forum, where he stated he had been introduced to Geon-jin Beopsa by party officials and had never met him with Kim Geon-hee, were also deemed false and guilty.
The court explained that a prominent candidate disseminating false information in a public forum during the presidential election process undermined voters' ability to make informed decisions.
If the ruling is upheld by the Supreme Court, the People Power Party will be required to return approximately 39.7 billion won, including election expenses, in accordance with election law.
Following the verdict, Yoon's legal team expressed their intention to appeal, stating in a press release that they were very disappointed with the first-instance ruling and believed there were significant errors in the recognition of facts and the application of the law regarding the dissemination of false information under election law. They pledged to thoroughly contest the misinterpretation of facts and legal principles in the appellate court.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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