Yoon given suspended sentence in election law case; People Power Party faces W39.7b repayment

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, indicted on charges of making false statements during the 20th presidential election campaign, received a suspended prison sentence at trial Monday. If the conviction and sentence are upheld on appeal, the People Power Party — the party Yoon belonged to — will be required to return 39.7 billion won ($27.1 million) in reimbursed campaign expenses to the National Election Commission.

The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 21, presided over by Judge Jo Sun-pyo, sentenced Yoon to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years, on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act.

The court said the offense involved Yoon, a leading presidential candidate at the time, publicly making false statements about specific acts to benefit himself during the presidential election process. It added that the impact on voters was significant given that the candidate made the false statements directly at public forums such as televised debates.

The court added that while it was difficult to conclude that the false statements had determined the outcome of the presidential election Yoon went on to win, they were sufficient to have infringed on voters' ability to make sound decisions, calling the nature of the offense "very grave."

The court found Yoon guilty on both counts — the so-called "lawyer referral" charge and the charge related to statements about Jeon Seong-bae, also known as "Geonjin Beopsa."

On the first count, Yoon is accused of falsely denying at a Kwanhun Club debate in December 2021 that he had introduced attorney Lee Nam-seok to Yoon Woo-jin, the former head of the Yongsan Tax Office and brother of then-prosecutor Yoon Dae-jin, when in fact he had done so. On the second count, he is accused of falsely telling reporters in January 2022 that his wife Kim Keon Hee had never met Jeon Seong-bae on multiple occasions, when she had.

In finding Yoon guilty on the lawyer referral charge, the court said Yoon — who had faced suspicions of having exerted influence over the bribery case involving former tax office head Yoon Woo-jin — had made false statements about the nature of his relationship and personal ties with those involved. It said it was reasonable to conclude he had introduced attorney Lee to make a phone call to the former tax official.

In also finding Yoon guilty on the charge related to Jeon, the court said Yoon had "categorically denied" his relationship with Jeon — a person with whom he had maintained a close personal relationship alongside Kim Keon Hee since 2013 and from whom he had repeatedly sought personal and political advice — making it appear as though he had only been casually introduced to Jeon during the campaign.

The court said the allegations had centered on whether a presidential candidate might rely on informal influences — such as a shaman — rather than rational judgment in governing the country. "Voter interest was very high, and making false statements on this matter makes the offense very grave," the court said.

During the trial, Yoon's defense argued that he had merely lent his name rather than formally introducing the attorney, and that his statements about Jeon were intended as a rebuttal to what it called a "shaman framing" — arguments the court rejected.

Following the sentencing, Yoon's legal team said it believed the court had made numerous errors in its judgment and that it planned to appeal after reviewing the written ruling.

The special prosecutor's team led by Min Joong-ki, which brought the charges against Yoon, thanked the court for its thorough deliberation.