The Kim Keon-hee special counsel said on the 26th that Yoon Suk-yeol, the former president, was indicted on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act. The special counsel judged that from December 2021 to January 2022, when Yoon was the People Power Party's presidential candidate, he announced false information in debates and elsewhere regarding former Yongsan Tax Office chief Yoon Woo-jin and Jeon Seong-bae, known as "Geonjin."
Yoon, when he was head of Investigative Team 1 at the Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2012, has faced allegations that he was involved in Yoon's case, including by introducing a lawyer from the Central Investigation Department background to former chief Yoon. Former chief Yoon is the older brother of former chief prosecutor Yoon Dae-jin, known as a close aide to Yoon during his time in the prosecution.
The special counsel determined that although Yoon actually introduced a defense lawyer, he announced false information by saying at a Kwanhun Club invitational debate on Dec. 14, 2021, to the effect that "there was no fact of introducing a defense lawyer." The special counsel viewed the remark as stemming from concern about a drop in approval ratings.
The special counsel also took issue with remarks related to Jeon Seong-bae. Amid allegations at the time that Jeon was a "shaman backchannel," Yoon said in an interview at the launch of the Buddhist Leaders Forum on Jan. 17, 2022, to the effect that he was introduced to Jeon by a party official and had never met Kim Keon-hee and Jeon together. The special counsel said that in fact Yoon was introduced to Jeon by Kim and that the three did meet together, viewing this as also constituting an announcement of false information.
The special counsel said this is the eighth time Yoon has been brought to trial since the Dec. 3 martial law incident.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Central District Court on the 26th assigned the case of Yoon and Myung Tae-gyun on charges of violating the Political Funds Act to Criminal Agreement Division 33 (presiding judge Lee Jin-gwan, senior judge). Criminal Agreement Division 33 is hearing former prime minister Han's charges of aiding the ringleader of insurrection and engaging in important duties of insurrection, with a ruling scheduled for the 21st of next month.
The special counsel indicted Yoon on the 24th on charges that, in collusion with Kim, from June 2021 to March 2022 he received 58 opinion polls worth 270 million won from Myung free of charge. Myung was charged with providing illegal opinion polls. Kim was earlier indicted and detained on Aug. 29 on the same charge, and at the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Agreement Division 27 (presiding judge Woo In-seong, senior judge) faces a first-instance verdict on the 28th of next month.
The special counsel also investigated allegations that Yoon and his spouse exerted influence on nominations, including that of former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun, in the June 1, 2022 National Assembly by-elections in return for the opinion polls, but did not include related charges in this indictment.