A South Korean court on July 27 convicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol of making false statements during the 2022 presidential campaign, sentencing him to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years. If the conviction is upheld by the Supreme Court, the sentence would invalidate his election under the Public Official Election Act.

Under the special counsel law, the Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling as early as late January. If it upholds a sentence carrying a fine of at least 1 million won or a more severe punishment, the People Power Party would have to return the 39.7 billion won in public campaign reimbursements it received after the 20th presidential election. It would be the first time in South Korean constitutional history that the winner of a presidential election loses the office through an election law conviction and is required to repay state campaign funds.

The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 21, headed by Judge Cho Soon-pyo, found Yoon guilty of violating the Public Official Election Act. The court said the offense was particularly serious because a leading presidential candidate had knowingly made false statements to benefit his own campaign in an election for the country's highest office. It sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years.

The prosecution by Special Counsel Min Joong-ki rested on two allegations. One involved Yoon's denial that he had met shaman Jeon Seong-bae, widely known as "Geonjin...

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