Former President Yoon Suk-yeol again faced a sentence that would nullify an election win, as prosecutors in his appeal trial asked the court to uphold a lower court ruling over allegations he spread false information during the 2022 presidential campaign.
The team led by Special Counsel Min Joong-ki asked the court to "dismiss the defendant's appeal" at the final hearing of Yoon's public official election law case, held on the 13th before the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 2-1 under presiding High Court Judge Baek Seung-yeop. Yoon was earlier sentenced in the first trial to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years.
Yoon was indicted on charges of making false statements on Dec. 14, 2021, during the presidential campaign, at a debate hosted by the Kwanhun Club, where he said he had never introduced a lawyer to Yoon Woo-jin, the former head of the Yongsan tax office and the older brother of former senior prosecutor Yoon Dae-jin. He also faces charges of making false statements on Jan. 17 the following year, in an interview with reporters at the launch ceremony of a Buddhist leaders' forum, when he said of shaman Jeon Seong-bae, known as Geonjin Beopsa, that he had "been introduced to him by a party official but had never met him together with Kim Keon-hee."
The special counsel said that after Yoon made the remarks during the campaign, various allegations faded and he was able to maintain support as a leading presidential contender. "Considering the trend in approval ratings at the time, the election result and the margin in the vote share, it is reasonable to conclude that this offense affected the outcome of the election," the special counsel said. The team added, "At a time when controversy over his spouse and over shamanism persisted, the relationship between the defendant and his wife and Geonjin Beopsa was a highly important matter for voters in assessing the candidate."
Yoon's side, by contrast, argued for acquittal, saying the remarks cited in the indictment were not false. In his closing statement, Yoon said he had "never said anything about introducing a lawyer," and appealed that "to interpret a statement that I had never met Mr. Jeon as meaning that my spouse had never met him even once is to distort the Korean language." The court concluded arguments that day and set the verdict for 2 p.m. on the 27th.
If Yoon is finally convicted on the charges and fined 1 million won or more, the People Power Party would have to return the 2022 presidential campaign funds it was reimbursed by the National Election Commission. The party received about 39.7 billion won in reimbursements.