Appellate Court Overturns Conviction of Former President Yoon Suk-yeol in 'Myung Tae-gyun Poll' Case, Ruling 'No Evidence of Mutual Consent'

[Anchor]

Former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was sentenced to prison in the first trial over the "Myung Tae-gyun opinion poll suspicions," has been acquitted in his appellate trial. Attention is focused on how this ruling will affect the trials of Kim Keon-hee and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who are facing trial over the same suspicions.

Reporter Jang Hun-gyeong has the details.

[Reporter]

[Goo Hoe-geun, Presiding Judge, 7th Criminal Division, Seoul High Court (Yesterday): The original judgment is vacated. Each of the defendants is acquitted.]

The 7th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court overturned the first-trial verdict that sentenced former President Yoon Suk-yeol to two years in prison, acquitting him of charges that he received opinion poll results free of charge from Myung Tae-gyun.

The court ruled that the poll results handed over to former President Yoon by Myung were merely a means for political advice.

[Goo Hoe-geun, Presiding Judge, 7th Criminal Division, Seoul High Court (Yesterday): While it may be seen as a political benefit, it is not of a nature that can be converted into a property-based benefit, making it difficult to view it as a political fund contribution under the Political Funds Act.]

The court also did not recognize any intent to contribute political funds.

It stated that there is no direct evidence to prove a mutual understanding or agreement, such as a commission or consultation, between Myung and the couple.

Interest is also gathering on how this appellate ruling, which delivered an acquittal unlike the first trial, will impact the trials of Kim Keon-hee and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon regarding the Myung Tae-gyun opinion polls.

Kim Keon-hee was acquitted in both the first and second trials and is awaiting the Supreme Court ruling, while Mayor Oh, who faces charges of having his poll costs covered by others, was sentenced to a term that would strip him of his mayoral office in the first trial and is awaiting his appellate ruling on the 23rd.

While Mayor Oh's legal team submitted a phone recording as new evidence to the court, arguing that Mayor Oh had no knowledge of the opinion polls, Myung, who was acquitted, remained sharp in his criticism.

[Myung Tae-gyun: If you look through the statements Mayor Oh Se-hoon has been making for nearly two years, I think you will be able to tell whose statements are lies and whose are the truth.]

Final judgments regarding those implicated in the so-called Myung Tae-gyun opinion polls are expected to be settled by the Supreme Court going forward.

(Video reporting: Yang Hyun-chul, Video editing: So Ji-hye)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.