Former President Yoon Suk-yeol, indicted on charges of announcing false information about Geonjin, whose real name is Jeon Seong-bae, and former Yongsan Tax Office chief Yoon Woo-jin during the 20th presidential election, received a suspended prison sentence at trial court. If the sentence is finalized, the People Power Party must return about 39.7 billion won that it was refunded and reimbursed for during the presidential race to the National Election Commission.
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Agreement Division 21 (presiding judge Cho Soon-pyo) on the 27th sentenced the former president to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years, on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act. The court found both counts indicted by Special Counsel on Kim Keon-hee guilty. The special counsel had earlier sought a two-year prison term.
The court found that while serving in 2012 as head of Investigation Department 1 at the Central Investigation Bureau of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the former president introduced attorney Lee Nam-seok, a former member of the Central Investigation Bureau, to former chief Yoon. It cited that the former president acknowledged the introduction in a media interview at the time and that a text message the attorney sent to the former chief contained language indicating he was contacting him after hearing from the former president.
The former president's side argued the remarks meant he had not been involved in a formal retention, but the court did not accept that. The court held that, in the ordinary linguistic sense of a typical voter, arranging contact between a party to a case and a lawyer also constitutes a "lawyer introduction." It also said that the closeness with the former chief and the suspicion of involvement in the case were important facts that could influence voters' judgment.
Remarks related to Jeon were also found to be the announcement of false information. The court said it recognized that from around 2013 the former president came to know Jeon through First Lady Kim Keon-hee and continued to interact, and that he met with Kim at a temple or residence. Because these were matters he experienced directly, the possibility of mistake was low, and given that he denied the relationship when shamanism controversy could influence the election, the court found he recognized the falsehood.
The court said, "While it is difficult to conclude that the election result was determined solely by this crime, it is sufficient to find that voters' proper decision-making was infringed."
If the sentence is finalized, the People Power Party must return about 39.4 billion won in election expenses and 300 million won in refunded deposits, totaling about 39.7 billion won. This is under Article 265-2 of the Public Official Election Act, which makes the recommending party liable for repayment when the nullification of the election of a presidential candidate recommended by a party is finalized.
The former president's defense team said, "We find the trial court's ruling very regrettable and believe there are grave errors in fact-finding and application of the law," signaling an appeal. Special Counsel Kim Kyung-ho said, "We thank the court for its diligent review," and noted that his team would consider whether to appeal on the grounds of undue sentencing.
The special counsel law on Kim Keon-hee requires trial courts to hand down a first-instance verdict within six months from indictment, and appellate and Supreme Court rulings within three months from the prior judgment. If the so-called "6-3-3" timeline is met, the Supreme Court's decision could come by the end of Jan. 2027. However, because the provision is generally interpreted as directory, the actual finalization date could vary.