▲ Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, indicted on charges of receiving free opinion polls from political broker Myung Tae-kyun, attends the first trial sentencing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on July 13.
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was indicted on charges of receiving free opinion polls from political broker Myung Tae-kyun, has been sentenced to prison in the first trial.
The 33rd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jin-kwan) sentenced the former president to two years in prison and ordered a forfeiture of approximately 13.96 million won today (July 13) for violating the Political Funds Act.
Myung, who was indicted on the same charges, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison.
Myung, who had been standing trial without detention, was taken into court custody due to concerns over the destruction of evidence.
Previously, the special prosecutor team led by Min Joong-gi had requested a four-year prison term and a forfeiture of 137.2 million won for the former president, and a three-year prison term for Myung.
The court recognized the former president's guilt in 14 instances of receiving free services out of the total 58 opinion polls, worth approximately 270 million won, which he was accused of receiving from Myung between June 2021 and March 2022 in collusion with his spouse, Kim Keon-hee.
The financial benefit gained from the crime was calculated at approximately 27.92 million won.
Furthermore, the court acknowledged that the former president had promised the nomination of former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun to Myung in exchange for the opinion polls, and subsequently exerted influence on the party's nomination process through Jang Je-won, who was the chief of staff to the president-elect at the time.
The court stated, "Kim Keon-hee delegated the timing, content, method, and public disclosure of the opinion polls to Myung Tae-kyun, and Yoon Suk Yeol was informed of these details and tacitly agreed to them," adding, "There was a sequential and implicit consensus between the couple and Myung Tae-kyun regarding the provision of the opinion polls."
In explaining the sentencing for the former president, the court criticized him, saying, "Considering the circumstances under which the opinion polls were received from Myung Tae-kyun and the effects that followed, the defendant's actions undermine public trust in the development of democracy by fueling political distrust."
The court further emphasized, "Despite this, he made claims at the investigative agency such as 'I did not know Myung Tae-kyun was conducting opinion polls,' which contradict objective evidence, and even asked the special prosecutor team during the court hearing, 'Is there evidence? Produce the evidence.' Therefore, punishment corresponding to his wrongdoing is inevitable."
Regarding Myung, the court reprimanded him, stating, "The defendant's crime undermines the purpose of the Political Funds Act, which aims to promote the sound development of democratic politics. Nevertheless, he showed no remorse, such as making incomprehensible claims in court."
This ruling directly contradicts the acquittal of Kim Keon-hee, who was indicted separately on the same charges and found not guilty in both the first and second trials.
The courts that handled Kim Keon-hee's case concluded that because Myung provided opinion polls to others besides the couple, it could not be considered that the couple had received financial benefits equivalent to the cost of the polls, thus failing to establish the charges.
Following the sentencing, the former president's legal team stated, "Kim Keon-hee's case resulted in acquittals in both the first and second trials, and it is difficult to understand how a partial guilty verdict can be reached for a case with the exact same facts," adding that they would challenge the ruling through an appeal.
Additionally, the legal team conveyed that after the sentencing today, the former president remarked, "I am fine, but I am worried about the future of our judiciary."
The special prosecutor team for Kim Keon-hee met with reporters after the sentencing and said, "It is very meaningful that a verdict that finally aligns with the public's legal sentiment has been delivered in this case," adding, "It is true that we were very concerned because an acquittal was handed down for the same indictment, but it seems the court carefully reviewed various arguments and evidence and made a wise decision."
(Photo: Provided by Seoul Central District Court, Yonhap News)
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