PPP faces $29.6m repayment as Yoon election law appeal nears close; Kang Sun-woo verdict due

The appeals trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Public Official Election Act violations — with 39.7 billion won ($29.6 million) in election cost reimbursements received by the People Power Party hanging in the balance — is set to wrap up next week.

The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 2-1, presided over by Judges Baek Seung-yeop, Hwang Seung-tae and Kim Yeong-hyeon, will hold the closing arguments hearing in Yoon's election law appeal on Tuesday. The session had originally been scheduled for Sept. 29 but was postponed once after witness examinations ran long.

At the closing hearing, the special prosecutor team will deliver its final opinion and sentencing recommendation, followed by the defense's closing argument and Yoon's final statement.

Yoon is accused of publicly stating false information at a Kwanhun Club debate on Dec. 14, 2021, when he was a presidential candidate, by claiming he had never introduced a lawyer surnamed Lee — a former senior prosecutor from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Central Investigation Division — to Yoon Woo-jin, a former head of the Yongsan Tax Office. Yoon Woo-jin is the older brother of former Prosecutor General Yoon Dae-jin, a close associate of Yoon Suk Yeol from his prosecutorial career.

The special prosecutor team believes Yoon did in fact make the introduction but lied out of concern that the truth would hurt his approval rating.

He also faces charges of making false public statements in a Jan. 17, 2022, interview at the launch of the Buddhist Leaders Forum, where he claimed he had been introduced to Buddhist monk Jeon Seong-bae — known as "Geonjin Beopsa" — through a party official and had never met the monk together with first lady Kim Keon Hee.

The first-instance court found him guilty on the main charges and sentenced him to one year and six months in prison, suspended. If that sentence is upheld, the PPP will be required under the Public Official Election Act to return to the National Election Commission the 39.7 billion won in election expenses reimbursed during the 20th presidential election.

A first-instance verdict is due Wednesday for independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo and former Seoul city council member Kim Gyeong, who are charged with exchanging 100 million won in return for a city council nomination.

Judge Lee Chun-geun of Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 1 will hold the sentencing hearing that day for Kang and Kim on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

At the earlier closing arguments session, prosecutors sought four years in prison and a 100 million won surcharge for Kang, and two years in prison for Kim. A former aide to Kang who arranged the meeting between the two was recommended for one year in prison.

Kang and Kim were indicted in custody in March after allegedly meeting at a hotel in Yongsan-gu in January 2022, ahead of local elections, and exchanging a shopping bag containing 100 million won in return for a nomination. They were released on bail before their detention period expired on Sept. 22 and will receive the verdict out of custody.

Kim and the former aide admitted in court to having provided the money, but Kang has denied all charges.

Kang and Kim were also separately indicted last month on charges of splitting about 130 million won into donations made under dozens of names.

On Friday, the first-instance trial of former presidential office officials and former Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min — charged in connection with the alleged illegal diversion of budget funds during the relocation of the presidential residence under the Yoon administration — will conclude.

Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 36, presided over by Judge Lee Jeong-yeop, will hold closing arguments that day for Lee, former presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-gi, former general affairs secretary Yoon Jae-sun and former administrative secretary Kim O-jin.

The four are charged with directing the illegal diversion and disbursement of 2.09 billion won in Ministry of Interior and Safety budget funds unrelated to presidential residence operations — in order to pay an unqualified contractor, 21 Grams, for construction work during the 2022 presidential residence relocation — on charges including obstruction of rights through abuse of authority.

The case is also the first indictment brought by the second comprehensive special prosecutor team led by Kwon Chang-yeong, which investigated remaining allegations not covered by the three earlier special prosecutor probes into the insurrection, Kim Keon Hee and the Marine Corps corporal's death.

The first-instance trial of People Power Party lawmakers accused of obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant against former President Yoon Suk Yeol by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and other agencies following the Dec. 3 emergency martial law declaration is also set to begin.

Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 35, presided over by Judge Baek Dae-hyeon, will hold a preliminary hearing Tuesday in the case against PPP lawmakers Na Kyung-won, Kim Gi-hyeon, Yoon Sang-hyeon and Kwon Yeong-jin on charges of obstruction of special official duties.

The preliminary hearing is a procedural step held before substantive proceedings begin, at which the parties discuss plans for presenting evidence; defendants are not required to attend.

Na and the other lawmakers are accused of forming a human chain with Yoon supporters in front of the presidential residence on Jan. 15, 2025, to block the CIO and police from executing the arrest warrant against Yoon.

On the same day, the first appeals hearing will be held for Han Hak-ja, the head of the Unification Church, who was sentenced to two years in prison at trial on charges of colluding with the Yoon administration.

The appeals case involving Han, former Unification Church World Headquarters chief Yoon Yeong-ho, a former chief of staff to Han surnamed Jeong, and a former finance director surnamed Lee will be heard by Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 13, presided over by Judges Kim Mu-sin, Lee U-hui and Yu Dong-gyun.

Han was found guilty of providing money to first lady Kim Keon Hee and former PPP lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong with the aim of lobbying for Unification Church interests, among other charges, and was sentenced at trial to one year in prison for violating the Political Funds Act and one year for violating the Anti-Graft Act and for occupational embezzlement.