Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Yoon Suk Yeol found guilty of violating election law; PPP faces $27 mil. repayment
People watch a live television broadcast of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's trial verdict on charges of making false statements at Seoul Station, Monday. Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
Ousted president given suspended jail sentence for false statements during 2022 campaign
Ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced Monday to a year and a half in prison, suspended for three years, for making false statements during the 2022 presidential campaign. The ruling, if it is upheld, will require the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to return 39.7 billion won ($27.05 million) in campaign reimbursements.
The Seoul Central District Court handed Yoon the suspended jail term in the first ruling since he was indicted in December 2025 on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act over allegedly false remarks made in the run-up to the March 2022 presidential election.
Yoon, the PPP's candidate in the election, is already in jail over the December 2024 martial law fiasco, which led to his impeachment and removal from office.
The ruling carries significant political implications, because it may force the PPP to return the 39.7 billion won to the National Election Commission (NEC).
Under the Public Official Election Act, a presidential candidate who is elected or wins at least 15 percent of the vote is entitled to full reimbursement of campaign expenses from the NEC.
However, if the candidate is later convicted and the conviction is confirmed with a fine of at least 1 million won — the threshold for invalidating an election — the party must repay the full amount.
The case centered on two sets of allegedly false statements made by Yoon on the campaign trail.
One allegation centered on a former district tax office chief who was investigated on bribery allegations. The official was the younger brother of one of Yoon's longtime colleagues from his prosecutorial career.
The special counsel team argued Yoon had used his prosecutorial connections to help the embattled former tax official avoid legal trouble.
The team said Yoon then falsely claimed during a Kwanhun Club forum on Dec. 14, 2021, that he had not introduced a lawyer to the former tax official while he was under investigation.
The court said the offense was "not minor," ruling that Yoon had publicly made false claims about the nature of his relationship with and level of trust in the former tax official.
The second allegation concerns remarks made at the launch ceremony of the Buddhist Leaders Forum on Jan. 17, 2022.
He allegedly falsely stated that he had been introduced to Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman better known as Geonjin Beopsa, by a PPP official and that former first lady Kim Keon Hee had never met Jeon together with him.
According to the special counsel team, Yoon first met Jeon through his wife, maintaining ties with the shaman for more than a decade.
Prosecutors argued that Jeon repeatedly advised Yoon on personal and political matters, while Yoon portrayed the shaman as someone he had met only by chance during the election campaign.
The court said the false statement was particularly serious because it concerned whether a presidential candidate might rely on unofficial influence rather than rational judgment in governing the country.
At the final hearing last month, special prosecutors argued that Yoon's false statements helped quell various controversies surrounding him and gave him an advantage in the presidential election.
They sought a two-year prison sentence.
Yoon's legal team has denied the allegations, arguing that he answered questions truthfully based on his recollection and understanding in order to satisfy the public's right to know, rather than intentionally spreading false information.