South Korean Court Finds Former President Guilty of Election Law Violation

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been convicted of making false statements during his presidential campaign, a decision that could have significant financial implications for his party.

The Seoul Central District Court delivered the verdict, sentencing Yoon to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years. The ruling was based on Yoon’s false statements during a January 2022 interview, in which he downplayed his relationship with a fortune teller. This individual was later convicted of acting as an intermediary between Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, and the Unification Church, which allegedly bribed her in exchange for political favors.

The court also found Yoon guilty of falsely denying, at a December 2021 news conference, that he had introduced a defense attorney to a former Seoul tax official under investigation on bribery allegations while serving as a state prosecutor in 2012.

This conviction is one of seven ongoing criminal trials facing Yoon, who remains in custody. He was removed from office in April 2025, following his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024, which triggered the country’s biggest political crisis in decades.

Yoon has appealed some convictions, including for rebellion, the most serious charge stemming from his botched power grab. He was sentenced to life in prison in that case in February.

The Supreme Court earlier this month upheld a seven-year prison sentence against Yoon for sidestepping a legitimate Cabinet deliberation before declaring martial law and resisting law enforcement attempts to arrest him, in his first case to be finalized by the country’s highest court.

Under South Korean law, the government reimburses election expenses for candidates who receive more than 15% of the votes. The law requires those funds to be returned if the candidate is convicted of an election law violation punishable by a fine of 1 million won or heavier penalties.

Yoon’s party, the People Power Party, could be forced to return around 40 billion won ($27 million) in election expenses reimbursed by the government after Yoon’s narrow victory over current liberal President Lee Jae Myung in 2022.

Yoon’s lawyers plan to appeal, arguing that the verdict was based on a misinterpretation of the facts and election law.

Yoon quietly listened as the chief judge read the verdict and did not comment after the ruling. The People Power Party did not immediately comment on the decision.