The first court ruling on former President Yoon Suk-yeol's alleged false statements in the presidential election will come on the 27th. The sentencing will be broadcast live.
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21 (Presiding Judge Cho Soon-pyo) will hold the first-instance sentencing hearing at 2 p.m. on the 27th for the former president, who was indicted on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act.
If the former president receives a finalized sentence of a fine of at least 1 million won in this case, the People Power Party must return 39.7 billion won, including the reimbursed election expenses at the time, to the National Election Commission.
Article 265-2 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that a person whose election is invalidated by a finalized sentence for an election crime must return the amount reimbursed by the election commission.
Earlier, the former president was brought to trial on charges of announcing false information in a media interview on Jan. 17, 2022, about two months before the 20th presidential election, saying, in effect, "I was introduced to Geonjin Jeon Seong-bae by a party official, and I have never met him together with Ms. Kim."
He also faces a charge for, as a presidential candidate, saying at a Kwanhun Club invitational debate on Dec. 14, 2021, in effect, "I did not introduce Attorney Lee, a former Supreme Prosecutors' Office Central Investigation Department prosecutor, to former Chief Yoon Woo-jin."
At the sentencing hearing on the 8th of last month, special counsel Min Joong-ki's special counsel team sought a two-year prison term for the former president.
At the time, the special counsel team said, "The Constitution provides that the president is elected by a direct vote of the people, and the announcement of false information that affects the proper judgment of voters is, in itself, a serious crime," and asked the court to sentence him to two years in prison.