Key facts
- South Korea's Supreme Court upheld prison sentences for shaman Jeon Seong-bae and former Unification Church official Yun Young-ho.
- Jeon Seong-bae received a five-year prison term and a forfeit of 180 million won.
- Yun Young-ho received a 1 1/2-year prison term.
- The case involves bribery linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee.
- Kim Keon Hee and Kweon Seong-dong have appealed their own prison sentences.
South Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a seven-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol in a case related to his brief imposition of martial law in 2024. The court affirmed a lower court's ruling that found Yoon guilty of infringing on Cabinet members' right to deliberate before declaring martial law, falsifying the proclamation, and destroying the document. Yoon is also accused of deploying presidential security forces to illegally resist law enforcement.
Separately, the Supreme Court confirmed prison sentences for shaman Jeon Seong-bae and former Unification Church official Yun Young-ho in a bribery case linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Jeon Seong-bae received a five-year prison term and a forfeit of 180 million won, while Yun Young-ho was sentenced to 1 1/2 years. Jeon was indicted for accepting goods from Yun in violation of the Political Funds Act and bribery laws, accused of colluding with Kim Keon Hee. Yun was indicted for delivering gifts to Kim Keon Hee and providing illegal political funds to lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong and others.
Kim Keon Hee and Kweon Seong-dong have appealed their own prison sentences of four and two years, respectively, and the Supreme Court's decisions are expected to influence their appeals.