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A Seoul district court on Monday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to two years in prison after finding him partially guilty of accepting illegal political funds in the form of free opinion polls from a self-proclaimed power broker. The Seoul Central District Court delivered the verdict in a case brought by a special counsel team that had indicted Yoon on charges of receiving opinion polls worth about 270 million won (US$180,100) in total from political broker Myung Tae-kyun for free between April 2021 and March 2022.

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Reports on the ruling consistently noted that the court found Yoon had received 14 rounds of polling from Myung at no cost and later exercised influence over the nomination of a former lawmaker to repay him. The court's decision marked a departure from the acquittal of Yoon's wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, on the same charges in a separate trial.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the court also recognized the special counsel's argument that Yoon had promised to support former Rep. Kim Young-sun's nomination as a candidate for the conservative People Power Party in the parliamentary by-elections in June 2022 in exchange for the opinion polls. The court ordered a forfeiture of 13.96 million won and sentenced Myung Tae-kyun to 18 months in prison.

France 24, citing local media, reported that the court found Yoon violated political funding laws. Both outlets noted that Yoon denied the charges, saying he had not requested the polls or promised anything in return.

Key claims

  • Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to two years in prison for illegally receiving opinion polling services.
  • Yoon received 14 rounds of polling from a political broker at no cost and later exercised influence over the nomination of a former lawmaker to repay him.
  • The value of the opinion polling services was approximately 270 million won ($179,800).
  • Yoon denied the charges, saying he had not requested the polls or promised anything in return.
  • The court's decision differed from earlier court rulings involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee, which found no quid pro quo.
  • Yoon is currently appealing a life sentence handed down in February after a court found him guilty of masterminding an insurrection tied to his short-lived declaration of martial law in 2024.
  • The Supreme Court finalized a seven-year prison sentence for Yoon for obstructing authorities' attempt to arrest him.
  • Yoon is involved in eight legal cases.
  • Myung Tae-kyun was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
  • The court ordered a forfeiture of 13.96 million won.
  • The court said: "The defendant's actions sowed distrust in politics and undermined the public trust in the development of democracy."

Reactions

Yonhap reported that defense lawyers vowed to appeal the verdict, calling it "difficult to understand," while special counsel Min Joong-ki called the ruling "very meaningful" and noted the court's careful consideration of evidence. The special counsel's team had sought a four-year prison sentence for Yoon and a three-year term for Myung.

The ruling diverged from the Seoul High Court's April acquittal of Kim Keon Hee, which reasoned that the couple could not be seen as profiting from the opinion polls because Myung had provided them to other people as well. The special counsel has appealed that ruling.