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Former South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol was on Monday sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, after a Seoul court found him guilty of making false statements during his successful 2022 presidential campaign.The verdict adds to a string of criminal cases against the ousted leader and, if upheld on appeal, could invalidate his election victory and saddle his former party with a multi-billion won financial penalty.According to the Seoul central district court, Yoon violated South Korea's election law by making false claims during the 2022 campaign, including denying that he had introduced a lawyer to a former tax official and insisting that neither he nor his wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, had met controversial shaman Jeon Seong-bae.The court accepted prosecutors' contention that Yoon had, in fact, introduced the lawyer to the former official and had maintained a long-standing relationship with Jeon after first meeting him through Kim.According to Reuters, explaining its decision, the court said, "When a candidate personally announces false information at public events with a large impact, such as debates and interviews, the effect on voters' decision making is very significant."
Prosecutors had sought a two-year prison sentence, arguing that Yoon's statements helped deflect scrutiny over the allegations during one of South Korea's closest presidential contests. Yoon secured victory in the 2022 election by a margin of just 0.7 percentage points.Yoon has denied any wrongdoing throughout the proceedings. Following Monday's ruling, his legal team confirmed that he would challenge the verdict."Yoon... plans to appeal the verdict," his legal counsel said in a statement.Under South Korean election law, political parties are reimbursed by the state for campaign expenses if their presidential candidate wins or secures at least 15 per cent of the vote. However, a final conviction carrying a prison sentence or a fine of at least 1 million won invalidates the election and requires the party to return the reimbursed funds.If the judgment survives the appeals process, Yoon's former party, the People Power Party, could be forced to repay 39.7 billion won in campaign expenses reimbursed by the National Election Commission following his 2022 election victory.The latest conviction comes against the backdrop of Yoon's broader legal troubles. He declared martial law in December 2024, ordering troops to shut down Parliament before lawmakers overturned the move within hours and subsequently removed him from office.Yoon is also facing multiple criminal proceedings linked to the martial law declaration. In February, a lower court sentenced him to life imprisonment in a separate insurrection case, with that matter also continuing through the legal process.
