'Yoon Election Law' Case Verdict Upheld in Second Trial... 39.7 Billion Won Return Required If Finalized

[Anchor]

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, indicted on charges of publicizing false information during the 2022 presidential election, has been sentenced to a term that would invalidate his election in the second trial as well. If finalized by the Supreme Court, the People Power Party will be required to return all 39.7 billion won it received as reimbursement for election expenses at that time.

Reporter Kwon Min-kyu has the details.

[Reporter]

[Judge Baek Seung-yeop / Presiding Judge, Criminal Division 2-1, Seoul High Court: We deliver the verdict as follows. The defendant's appeal is dismissed.]

The Seoul High Court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was indicted on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, to one year and six months in prison with a three-year probation, the same as the first trial.

The court ruled that both of former President Yoon's charges of publicizing false information on two occasions during his time as the People Power Presidential candidate in the 20th presidential election were guilty.

These include his statement at a Kwanhun Club debate in December 2021 that he had never introduced a lawyer to former Yongsan Tax Office Chief Yoon Woo-jin, and

[Yoon Suk Yeol (December 2021, then presidential candidate): (Former Chief Yoon Woo-jin's) younger brother is also a current prosecutor, and I was not in a position to be introducing a lawyer like that.]

his remarks during an interview at a Buddhist event a month later stating that he was introduced to Jeon Seong-bae, known as Geonjin Beopsa, by a party official and that he had never met Jeon together with Kim Keon-hee. The court stated that all of these constitute charges.

The court judged that former President Yoon's remarks regarding the introduction of a lawyer did not simply mean that he "did not arrange a legal representation contract," but rather meant that "he did not even perform the act of connecting the two people," and therefore differed from the facts.

Regarding the remarks about Jeon Seong-bae, the court stated, "It is recognized that former President Yoon first met Jeon through his spouse in 2013 and subsequently met him several times along with his spouse," acknowledging them as false statements.

Former President Yoon's defense counsel expressed their intention to appeal, claiming that the ruling was predetermined, while the special counsel side stated that the verdict was one the public could understand and expressed gratitude to the court.

Since a sentence corresponding to the invalidation of an election was handed down in the second trial following the first, the People Power Party will have to return the 39.7 billion won in election expenses reimbursed from the 20th presidential election if the ruling is finalized in the future.

(Camera: Yang Hyun-chul | Video Editing: Kim Jin-won | Design: Lee Jong-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.