Seoul court upholds Yoon's election conviction, former party could owe US$30m
An appeals court kept the former South Korean president's 18-month suspended sentence, and his lawyers plan to go to the Supreme Court.
South Korea's opposition People Power Party could have to repay 39.7 billion won after the Seoul High Court on Wednesday upheld former president Yoon Suk Yeol's conviction for spreading disinformation during his election campaign, CNA and The Straits Times reported.
The appeals court left Yoon's 18-month suspended sentence in place. A lower court had found him guilty of violating election laws through false statements on the campaign trail, including lying about his ties to a shaman.
"The defendant, who had a duty to provide voters with accurate information on which to base their judgement, disseminated disinformation," the presiding judge said during the televised sentencing. The judge added that Yoon had "consistently resorted to excuses" from the investigation stage through to the trial. Yoon showed no emotion as his appeal was rejected, the outlets reported.
CNA put the possible repayment at US$29.6 million, while The Straits Times, carrying an AFP report, gave it as S$37.9 million. Both said the sum is roughly one-third of the party's assets, according to election commission filings.
Under South Korean law, the National Election Commission reimburses parties for campaign expenses if their candidates win at least 15 per cent of the vote. If a candidate is imprisoned or fined at least 1 million won for election-related offences, the election is invalidated and the party must return the money. Both outlets said the ruling could also invalidate Yoon's 2022 presidential win.
They described the decision as a largely symbolic blow for Yoon, 65, who has already been sentenced to life imprisonment for insurrection. He declared martial law in December 2024 and ordered troops to shut down parliament, but lawmakers defied the military and voted down the decree. He was later impeached and removed from office, and has since faced a series of criminal prosecutions.
CNA's coverage of the insurrection verdict said the judge in that case found Yoon had conspired with his then defence minister, Kim Yong Hyun, to subvert the constitutional order by deploying troops to parliament. It said Yoon denied the charges and was expected to appeal, and that he faced further trials linked to the martial law case while serving jail time for a separate conviction.
Yoon's legal team called Wednesday's ruling "unjust" and said it imposed a penalty "without adequately considering the context". The lawyers said they would appeal to the Supreme Court, which would have to uphold the ruling before the party was forced to repay the funds.
Sources: CNA, Seoul court upholds ex-president Yoon's election conviction; The Straits Times, Seoul court upholds ex-president Yoon’s election conviction.
