Why Yoon Suk Yeol Received a Heavy Sentence... The Court's Ruling on "Intentional Dissemination"

[Anchor]

The prison sentence with a probation period is an exceptionally heavy punishment for a violation of the Public Official Election Act regarding the publication of false information. The first-instance court concluded that the nature of the crime was very grave, stating that he deliberately twisted clear facts and lied intentionally.

Reporter Jang Hun-gyeong has more.

[Reporter]

In January 2022, former President Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted by a special counsel after making the following remarks regarding Geonjin Beobsa.

[Yoon Suk Yeol / Former President (January 2022): It is true that I exchanged greetings after hearing that he (Geonjin Beobsa) offered a lot of support. (You didn't meet him together with your spouse?) No, that is not the case.]

The court pointed out that "the intent of the reporter's question appeared to be whether he had a personal connection to Geonjin Beobsa through Kim Keon-hee, rather than focusing on a specific time or place," adding that this statement would have given general voters the impression that he had never met Geonjin Beobsa alongside Kim.

Shamanism controversies are directly linked to the informal influence on a candidate's state administration, which can significantly impact voters' decisions. The court judged that the remarks were of a serious criminal nature because they involved intentional falsehoods.

[Cho Soon-pyo / Presiding Judge, Criminal Settlement Division 21, Seoul Central District Court: Considering that the remarks were made as an explanation during a phase where the shamanism controversy could affect approval ratings, the defendant's intent to publish false information is also recognized.]

Furthermore, the court found intent in his debate remarks from December 2021—three months prior to the presidential election—stating that he had never introduced a lawyer to former Yongsan Tax Office Chief Yoon Woo-jin.

[Yoon Suk Yeol / Former President (December 2021): My younger brother is also a serving prosecutor, and I was not in a position where I had to introduce a lawyer like that.]

This came after a recording was previously made public from his 2019 Prosecutor General confirmation hearing in which he stated, "I introduced him," prompting him to later acknowledge the truth by saying, "I introduced him, but that lawyer was not retained."

The court repeatedly rebuked him, stating, "The nature of the crime is not light, as he overturned his previous statements that he had admitted to himself and published false information."

[Cho Soon-pyo / Presiding Judge, Criminal Settlement Division 21, Seoul Central District Court: (At the Prosecutor General confirmation hearing) he testified with the intent of acknowledging the facts. Nevertheless, at a debate held approximately three months before the presidential election, he made a denial statement that clearly contradicted this.]

Analyses suggest that former President Yoon's repeated falsehoods and deliberate intent led to the exceptional prison sentence.

(Video by Won Hyeong-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.