Former President Yoon Suk-yeol stands as the verdict is read in his trial on July 27, 2026, on charges of lying during his presidential campaign. (Yonhap)
A Seoul court has annulled former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s election victory over breaches of the Public Official Election Act. The court of first instance found Yoon guilty of publishing false information during the 2022 presidential election for statements made in reference to the shaman Jeon Seong-bae and former Yongsan Regional Tax Office chief Yoon Woo-jin, the older brother of former Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office head Yoon Dae-jin.On Monday, the Seoul Central District Court accepted the charges brought by Min Joong-ki’s special counsel team and sentenced the former president to 18 months in prison with a suspended period of three years. With regard to Yoon’s statement at the time that he was introduced to Jeon, but never met him with his wife, the court noted, “The defendant flatly denied the relationship with a person he had been on close terms with since 2013 and repeatedly received advice from regarding personal and political matters, painting the relationship as a chance meeting during the election process.”Yoon met Jeon through his wife Kim Keon-hee when he was demoted during the Park Geun-hye administration, and despite seeking advice on important matters, including Yoon’s selection for the special counsel team in charge of the Park Geun-hye corruption probe, he lied about the relationship by claiming he only met Jeon through a party official during his campaign for president. With regard to Yoon’s statement that he never introduced a certain attorney who formerly worked at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to former Yongsan Regional Tax Office chief Yoon Woo-jin, the court determined, “In light of the fact that the defendant spoke with Yoon Woo-jin over the phone on multiple occasions and built a relationship of trust, and that [the attorney in question] contacted Yoon Woo-jin upon hearing the defendant’s name, it is correct to say that an introduction took place.” “The statement in question can be interpreted to mean that the connection to the attorney bore no relation to Yoon Woo-jin, so it amounts to the publishing of false information,” the court found. The court also described the nature of the crimes as “very grave” and “far from light” in its judgments. This is because Yoon brazenly lied to members of the press who raised allegations of corruption and ignored and denied objective evidence even after serious breaches of professional ethics. Both cases were subject to intense public scrutiny. As the court noted, Yoon’s lies should be viewed as having interfered with the public’s ability to make an informed decision in the election.Under the Public Official Election Act, if a candidate has an election victory nullified and receives a fine of at least 1 million won for electoral crimes, the party must repay all reimbursements for election costs received from the National Election Commission. If this verdict is upheld by the Supreme Court, the People Power Party would be forced to repay around 39.7 billion won (US$27 million) to the commission. This decision must serve as the catalyst for the People Power Party to firmly separate itself from both Yoon, who deceived the public from the very outset during his election campaign and ultimately led an insurrection, as well as the “Yoon Again” faction that supports him and wants him to return to power. Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
