Yoon Suk Yeol, who was sentenced to a disqualification ruling for publishing false information during the 20th presidential election, asserted his innocence during the first hearing of his appeal, stating, "If I intended to deceive the public, I would have avoided answering questions." Yoon's legal team raised issues of fairness by referencing a proposal from Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Research Committee, and the case involving President Lee Jae-myung.
The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 2-1, presided over by judges Baek Seung-yeop, Hwang Seung-tae, and Kim Young-hyun, held the first hearing of Yoon's appeal on September 8.
Yoon's defense argued that the statements in question were not premeditated but rather spontaneous and defensive responses to reporters' inquiries. They cited factual errors, legal misunderstandings, and inappropriate sentencing as grounds for their appeal, requesting the court to overturn the first ruling and declare Yoon not guilty.
Yoon also took the opportunity to speak, saying, "If it was difficult to answer the questions, I could have simply gotten into my car. I could have easily avoided the questions, so would I have answered them to deceive the public?" He added, "If a response of 'that’s not true' in 2-3 seconds is considered the publication of false facts, I question whether it is realistically possible to conduct an election campaign. I ask that you thoroughly review this in the appeal process."
The defense team also mentioned a Facebook post by Cho on September 6, suggesting the removal of the 'act' requirement from the definition of the crime of publishing false facts. They argued that the ambiguity of the 'act' could lead to arbitrary punishment. They pointed out that the case against President Lee, which was sent back to the Supreme Court with a guilty ruling, has been suspended, raising concerns about fairness.
The special prosecutor's team, led by Min Joong-ki, argued that Yoon's statements were prepared in response to media inquiries and requested the court to dismiss the appeal and uphold the first ruling.
The court noted that Yoon had explained the meaning of 'introduction' differently at various times. The judges stated, "The key to determining whether the defendant's claim of not introducing someone is a publication of false facts lies in how an average voter would interpret that statement."
Yoon is accused of stating that he did not introduce Lee Nam-seok, a former prosecutor from the Central Investigation Department, to Yoon Woo-jin, the former head of the Yongsan Tax Office, during a Kwanhun Club discussion in December 2021. He is also accused of publishing false information in a January 2022 media interview, claiming he had not been introduced to Jeon Seong-bae (a figure associated with the party) along with Kim Geon-hee.
The first trial found him guilty on both charges, sentencing him to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years. If this sentence is confirmed, the People Power Party will have to return 39.7 billion won in election expenses received during the 20th presidential election to the National Election Commission.
The court plans to summon Yoon Dae-jin, the former prosecutor and brother of Yoon Woo-jin, as a witness on the 22nd. Following the defendant's testimony and the special prosecutor's closing arguments, the court is expected to conclude the proceedings on that day.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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