Court upholds Yoon's sentence that could cost opposition party W39.7b

The Seoul High Court on Wednesday upheld a sentence that would invalidate former President Yoon Suk Yeol's 2022 election victory, putting the main opposition People Power Party at risk of having to return 39.7 billion won ($27 million) in state-reimbursed campaign expenses.

The court sentenced Yoon to a suspended prison term for making false statements during his presidential campaign. Under the Public Official Election Act, a prison sentence, even if suspended, invalidates a candidate's election once the ruling becomes final.

The charges stemmed from two statements Yoon made during the campaign. He denied introducing a lawyer to Yoon Woo-jin, former head of the Yongsan Tax Office, and said he had never met shaman Jeon Seong-bae alongside his wife, Kim Keon Hee. The court found both statements to be false.

Yoon, who was ousted from office in December 2024, ran in the presidential election as the candidate of the conservative People Power Party. The appeals court upheld the lower court's finding that he was guilty on all charges. The lower court had sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years.

If the ruling is upheld by the Supreme Court, Yoon Suk Yeol's election victory will be invalidated, and the main conservative party will have to return the full amount of campaign expenses it received from the state.