Political broker Myung Tae-gyun will be released on bail. Myung was taken into custody in court after being sentenced to prison at the first trial on charges of providing opinion polls free of charge to former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
According to legal sources on the 24th, the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 7 (Presiding Judge Koo Hoe-geun) granted Myung's request for bail that day. Myung will stand trial without detention.
At a bail hearing on the 20th, Myung's side said there was "no risk of evidence destruction," adding, "In line with the presumption of innocence and the principle of trial without detention, we hope to stand trial without detention."
Myung was indicted on charges of violating the Political Funds Act for providing 58 opinion polls worth about 270 million won free of charge to the former president and spouse from June 2021 to March 2022.
On July 13, the first trial ruled that 14 opinion polls whose results Myung directly delivered to the former president and spouse constituted a political funds donation and sentenced Myung to one year and six months in prison.
Myung appealed the first-instance ruling.