SEOUL, November 4 (AJP) - An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a suspended prison sentence for disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol over false statements he made during his 2022 presidential campaign.
The Seoul High Court found him guilty of violating election-related laws by making false claims about his past contacts with a lawyer and a controversial religious sect leader, upholding the first trial's ruling in July, which sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years.
The ruling stems from remarks Yoon, then the presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), made at a forum in late 2021 and in a media interview in early 2022, in which he denied having personal ties to the two men. The court, however, found that he had met them on several occasions and that his wife Kim Keon Hee had maintained a close relationship with one of them.
The court said voters have a right to know whether a presidential candidate could be influenced by people outside official channels. It also stressed that candidates must be honest with the public.
The case has drawn particular attention because the ruling could have serious financial and political consequences for the PPP, which nominated Yoon in the 2022 election.
If the top court upholds the ruling, Yoon's election victory will be invalidated, and the PPP will have to return 39.7 billion won (about US$29.6 million) in campaign expenses reimbursed by the state.
Under relevant election laws in South Korea, political parties must return state-funded campaign costs if their candidate receives a prison sentence or a fine of more than 1 million won for election-related violations.
Yoon is also facing a slew of other cases stemming from his botched declaration of martial law in December 2024, which led to his ouster from office. In February this year, a court sentenced Yoon to life in prison on charges of abuse of power and insurrection. He has also appealed the ruling.
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