People Power Party to return 39.7 billion won in reimbursed election expenses if ruling is confirmed
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, as the court convicted him of violating the election law during his 2022 presidential election campaign.
The Seoul Central District Court accepted both charges pressed by the special counsel, for Yoon's false claims about Yoon Woo-jin, former chief of the Yongsan Tax Office, and shaman Jeon Seong-bae.
"The defendant, who was a leading candidate in the presidential election, made false claims about his actions. ... A candidate making a false statement at a debate or interview could have substantial influence (on the public) or significantly affect the decision-making process of the voters," the court said in its ruling, convicting Yoon for violating the Public Official Election Act.
Yoon in 2021 claimed he did not introduce a lawyer to Yoon Woo-jin, who in November was handed a jail term for receiving money from entrepreneurs in exchange for favors related to tax audits.
The court said the former leader deliberately allowed his name and position to be used in the meeting, having the lawyer talk to the former tax official multiple times since.
Yoon in 2022 also claimed that he and his wife, then-first lady Kim Keon Hee, did not meet shaman Jeon Seong-bae, and that an official of his then-party, People Power Party, had introduced him to Jeon.
The court said the public could have...
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