South Korea's former president Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced for violating the Public Office Election Act. The second-instance judgment was announced on the 4th. Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison, with a three-year suspension.
The Criminal Tribunal No. 2-1 of the Seoul High Court in South Korea rendered the above judgment on that day, finding that all the charges against Yoon Suk-ey were established. The court rejected his appeal and upheld the original judgment.
If this judgment becomes final, Yi Sun-yeok's election as president will be invalid. The largest opposition party, the National Force Party, must return the 39.7 billion Korean won (approximately 198 million yuan) in campaign funding received during the 20th general election to the Central Election Commission.
Yoon Si-young was accused of attending a discussion organized by the Korean Journalists' Club 'Kwanghun Club' on December 14, 2021, during the general election campaign period. In this discussion, he made false statements claiming that he had not introduced a certain lawyer to Yoon Yu-jin, the former director of the Yeongnam Tax Service. He was also accused of lying in an interview on January 17, 2022, by claiming that he had met with the monk Won Seong-pyeop, known as 'Kanjin Master', through the introduction of a party official. He claimed that he did not meet with his wife Kim Kang-hee during this meeting.
The court stated that the defendant, as a Korean presidential candidate recommended by a political party, was obligated to provide information that would enable voters to make informed decisions. However, during the presidential campaign, he released false information, which violated voters' rights of choice and undermined the fairness and legality of the election process.
According to the South Korean 'Public Officials Election Act', a presidential candidate who is elected or receives 15% or more of the votes can receive full campaign funding compensation provided by the Central Election Commission.
However, if the relevant person is fined 1 million Korean won or more due to violating the Election Law after being elected, and the relevant judgment finally takes effect, then their election as president becomes invalid, and the political party they belong to must return the full amount of the compensation. Therefore, if this case ends with a final judgment in the second instance, the National Party must return 3.97 billion Korean won in compensation.
