[Anchor]
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been sentenced to two years in prison in the first trial for receiving free public opinion polls from Myung Tae-kyun. This ruling contrasts with the acquittal handed down to his wife, Kim Keon-hee, in both the first and second trials, despite her being indicted as an accomplice in the same case.
Legal correspondent Im Chanjong reports.
[Reporter]
The key issue in the ruling delivered today (July 13) was the nature of the opinion polls that the former President and his wife received from Myung Tae-kyun.
While providing opinion polls for free constitutes a violation of the Political Funds Act, it would not be considered a crime if the former President’s side had not requested the polls or reached an agreement, and if the polls were instead planned by Myung for his own separate purposes.
The first-instance court, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Jin-kwan, stated that 14 of the opinion polls received by the former President between June 2021 and March 2022 constituted illegal political funds.
The court reasoned that if the polls had been provided unilaterally by Myung for the purpose of promoting his polling business, they would have occurred only once. The court concluded, "Considering the frequency, the duration, and the relationship between the former President and his wife and Myung Tae-kyun, it is difficult to view these as having been provided unilaterally for free without any agreement."
Consequently, the court sentenced the former President to two years in prison and ordered a forfeiture of approximately 13.96 million won. Myung was sentenced to one year and six months in prison and was taken into court custody.
[Chief Judge Lee Jin-kwan/Presiding Judge: The actions of the defendant Yoon Suk Yeol have exacerbated public distrust in politics and hindered the public's expectations for the sound development of democratic politics, resulting in serious consequences that warrant significant criticism.]
This ruling conflicts with the outcome of the trial for Kim Keon-hee, who was indicted as an accomplice alongside the former President.
Kim, who was tried separately from the former President, was acquitted in both the first and second trials, as the courts determined that the opinion polls conducted by Myung were not exclusively for the former President and his wife, but rather a means of business activity.
With the rulings for the two individuals indicted as accomplices now diverging, the Supreme Court’s decision on Kim Keon-hee, scheduled for the 16th, is expected to determine which legal logic will be upheld.
(Video reporting: Yang Hyun-chul, Video editing: Kim Ho-jin)
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