Court Sentences Yoon Suk Yeol to Suspended Prison Term

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon Suk Yeol to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, on July 27, 2026, for violating the Public Official Election Act. The court determined that the former president made false statements during his 2022 campaign, specifically denying that he introduced a lawyer to a tax official and falsely claiming that he and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, had not met shaman Jeon Seong-bae.

If the ruling is upheld on appeal, the People Power Party must return 39.7 billion won (approximately $27 million) in reimbursed election expenses to the National Election Commission. Prosecutors had originally sought a two-year prison term. Yoon's legal team denied the charges, asserting that his statements were based on honest recollection, and he intends to appeal the verdict.

Yoon is currently imprisoned following his impeachment and removal from office. This conviction is part of a broader series of legal challenges, including a February sentence of life imprisonment for leading an insurrection following a failed martial law bid in December 2024.