Prosecutors Seek Two-Year Prison Sentence for Yoon Suk Yeol Over False Statements

The special prosecutor's team, led by Kim Geon-hee, has requested a two-year prison sentence for Yoon Suk Yeol, who is charged with making false statements during his campaign as the presidential candidate for the People Power Party.

During the final hearing on Yoon's election law violation case held on June 8 at the Seoul Central District Court, the special prosecutor urged the court to impose a two-year sentence.

The special prosecutor stated, "The Constitution of the Republic of Korea mandates that the president be elected by direct vote of the people, making the dissemination of false information that influences the public's judgment a serious crime in itself. Following the defendant's statements in this case, various allegations against him quieted, allowing him to maintain his status as a leading presidential candidate."

Additionally, the prosecutor argued, "Considering the trends in approval ratings and vote margins during the 20th presidential election, this offense should be viewed as having influenced the election results."

Yoon is accused of making false statements regarding Jeon Seong-bae during an interview at the launch of the Buddhist Leaders Forum on January 17, 2022, claiming he had met Jeon only through introductions and had never met him with his wife.

He is also charged with making false statements at a discussion hosted by the Kwanhun Club on December 14, 2021, denying that he introduced a lawyer to Yoon Dae-jin, the brother of former Yoon Suk Yeol, while serving as the head of the Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2012.

If Yoon receives a sentence of more than 1 million won in fines in this case, the People Power Party will be required to return 39.7 billion won in election expenses to the National Election Commission, which were reimbursed after the presidential election.