If the Seoul Central District Court’s decision is upheld after appeal, the main South Korean opposition People Power Party (PPP), represented by Yoon Suk-yeol, may be forced to pay the election commission 39.7 billion won (25.5 million euros).
This could also annul Yoon Suk-yeol’s victory in the 2022 elections – a largely symbolic blow to the disgraced former leader, who is already serving a life sentence for rebellion.
Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law in December 2024 and ordered troops to close parliament, but after just six hours, parliamentarians reconvened and voted against the decision, removing him from office.
Later, 65-year-old Yoon Suk-yeol and his close associates were prosecuted in numerous cases.
Monday’s verdict, which was suspended for three years, was delivered by judges who found Yoon Suk-yeol guilty of two violations of election laws related to false statements during the 2022 election campaign.
Yoon Suk-yeol won those elections by a mere 0.7 percent margin.
However, the court found that he was insincere about his connections with a shaman and lied during an interview at a Buddhist conference to conceal a 2019 meeting with that mystic to avoid controversy.
Yoon Suk-yeol maintained a neutral expression as judges also ruled that he lied about introducing a lawyer to a tax official who was under investigation for alleged bribery.
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“The defendant, a key candidate in the presidential elections (…), publicized false information about his specific actions for his own benefit,” the verdict, read aloud during a live broadcast, stated. “There is sufficient basis to determine that these incidents undermined voters’ ability to make informed decisions.”
Yoon Suk-yeol’s legal team stated in a statement to AFP that the court’s decision contained “significant errors” and said they would appeal.
Under South Korean law, the election commission reimburses parties for all their campaign expenses if they win more than 15 percent of the vote – a law designed to limit the influence of money in politics.
Candidates convicted of election law violations, including spreading false information, must be removed from office, and their campaign funds must be returned to the National Election Commission.
The PPP spent 39.7 billion won participating in the 2022 presidential elections, a spokeswoman told AFP. The party will be forced to return the money if the decision is upheld.
According to election commission documents, this amount would constitute approximately one-third of the struggling party’s assets.
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