Yoon Suk Yeol given 18-month suspended sentence over false 2022 campaign claims

A South Korean court gave jailed former president Yoon Suk Yeol an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for three years, after finding him guilty of making false statements during his 2022 presidential campaign.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon had violated polling laws.

Judges found that he had been dishonest about his relationship with a shaman and had lied during an interview at a Buddhist conference to conceal a 2019 meeting with the mystic.

The court also ruled that Yoon had falsely denied introducing a lawyer to a tax official who was investigated over alleged bribery.

If the ruling is upheld on appeal, Yoon’s People Power Party could be required to repay 39.7 billion won, about $29 million, to the National Election Commission.

A party spokesperson said the amount was roughly equal to what the party spent on the 2022 presidential election.

Yoon’s legal team said there were “significant errors” in the judgment and that it would appeal. Yoon won the 2022 election by 0.7 percentage points.

He is already serving a life sentence for insurrection after declaring martial law in December 2024. Lawmakers voted down the measure after six hours and later removed him from office.