Yoon sentenced to 2 years over free polling from political broker; wife acquitted in separate trial

A court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to two years in prison at the first-instance trial on charges that he received free polling services from political broker Myung Tae-gyun. Myung, who was tried alongside Yoon, received a sentence of one year and six months and was taken into custody in the courtroom.

Criminal Division 33 of Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Jin-gwan, handed down the sentence against Yoon on Saturday on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. The court also ordered the forfeiture of 13.96 million won ($9,260).

The court found Yoon partly guilty of conspiring with his wife, Kim Keon Hee, to receive 58 polls worth a total of 270 million won from Myung free of charge between June 2021 and March 2022. The first-instance ruling found 14 instances of free receipt proven and assessed the financial benefit at 27.92 million won.

The court said Yoon had promised Myung the People Power Party nomination of former lawmaker Kim Young-sun in exchange for the polling, and subsequently exercised influence over the party's candidate selection through Jang Je-won, who was then chief of staff to the president-elect.

The court added that Kim Keon Hee had delegated to Myung decisions on the timing, content, method and publication of the polls, and that Yoon had received reports on these arrangements and tacitly consented to them. It said there had been "a sequential and implicit meeting of minds between the Yoon couple and Myung Tae-gyun regarding the provision of polling."

On sentencing, the court said Yoon's conduct "deepens public distrust in politics and impedes the development of democracy." It added that despite objective evidence including Telegram messages, Yoon had maintained an unrepentant attitude — denying he had ever spoken with Myung — and that "imposing a sentence commensurate with the wrongdoing is unavoidable."

The court said the offenses "likely influenced voters' perceptions of the electoral landscape to some degree" and were "highly unlawful." It further said Myung had "distorted polling results and manipulated them in a manner favorable to the Yoon couple," undermining the fairness of election outcomes.

Regarding Myung, the court sentenced him to one year and six months in prison, saying he had provided free polling results to the former president and his wife with the aim of wielding political influence by exploiting politicians' sensitivity to polling figures. After reviewing whether to detain him, the court ordered his immediate arrest, citing "a risk of evidence destruction" as grounds.

The ruling stands in contrast to separate first- and second-instance verdicts that acquitted Kim Keon Hee on the same charges.

The courts that handled Kim's case at both levels said Myung had provided polling to people other than the Yoon couple and that it could not be concluded she had received a financial benefit, meaning the charges did not hold.

Immediately after the sentencing, the special prosecutor's team said the ruling "reflects the public's sense of justice." It added that while there had been considerable concern following the acquittals of Kim Keon Hee at both the first and second instances, "the court judged wisely."