Key facts
- Special counsel asked the Seoul High Court to uphold Yoon's election law conviction.
- A conviction would invalidate Yoon's 2022 presidential election.
- The People Power Party may have to return 39.7 billion won in campaign expenses.
- Yoon was sentenced to a suspended 1 1/2-year prison term in July.
- Yoon was found guilty of making false statements regarding introducing a lawyer and meeting a shaman.
A special counsel team is urging the Seoul High Court to uphold the conviction of former President Yoon Suk Yeol for violating election law, a ruling that could invalidate his 2022 presidential election and require his former party to repay campaign funds. The request was made during a hearing at the appeals court on Tuesday.
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 27. In late July, the Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of making false statements as the People Power Party's presidential candidate and sentenced him to a 1 1/2-year prison term, suspended for three years. The court accepted the special counsel's argument that Yoon had falsely claimed he had never introduced a lawyer to a former tax official and had lied about meeting shaman Jeon Seong-bae, stating that Yoon had indeed introduced the lawyer and met Jeon through his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
If the appeals court upholds the verdict, Yoon's election as president will be invalidated. Additionally, the People Power Party would be required to return 39.7 billion won (US$29.8 million) in campaign expenses reimbursed by the election watchdog. Political parties are typically reimbursed for campaign expenses if their candidate secures at least 15 percent of the vote, but must return these funds if the candidate receives a finalized sentence of a fine of 1 million won or greater for election law violations.
Yoon has maintained his innocence, arguing that the remarks cited by the special counsel's team were not false.