July 27 (Asia Today) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, after finding him guilty of making false statements during his successful 2022 presidential campaign.

The Seoul Central District Court said Yoon’s statements concerned his relationship with Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman also known as Geonjin, and his alleged introduction of a lawyer to former tax official Yoon Woo-jin.

“The impact of a candidate publicly making false statements during a debate or other campaign event on an election is extremely significant,” the court said. It added that the seriousness of Yoon’s conduct should not be regarded as minor.

Yoon’s attorneys said the court misunderstood the facts and relevant law and accepted only the special counsel’s arguments. They said they would appeal.

If the ruling is upheld by the Supreme Court, the main opposition People Power Party could be required to return about 39.7 billion won, or $27.1 million, in campaign expenses reimbursed by the government following Yoon’s election.

It would be the largest repayment of election expenses by a political party in South Korean history.

Yoon was charged over comments he made while running for president.

During an interview at the launch of a Buddhist leaders’ forum on Jan. 17, 2022, Yoon said a party official had introduced him to Jeon and that he and his wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, had never met Jeon together.

Prosecutors argued that Yoon had repeatedly received advice from Jeon and falsely portrayed their relationship as a chance introduction during the campaign.

Yoon was also charged over remarks at a Kwanhun Club debate on Dec. 14, 2021. He denied introducing a former senior prosecution official as an attorney for Yoon Woo-jin, a former district tax office chief who had faced a bribery investigation.

The court said Yoon’s statement contradicted the nature of his relationship with the former tax official.

Under South Korean election law, candidates who receive at least 15% of the vote can receive full government reimbursement of eligible campaign expenses. Candidates who receive between 10% and 15% can recover half of their expenses.

A political party must return reimbursed campaign expenses and the candidate’s deposit if its presidential nominee receives a final conviction carrying a fine of at least 1 million won, or about $680, for an election-law offense. The repayment must generally be made within 30 days.

The ruling adds to Yoon’s mounting legal problems following his removal from office over his brief declaration of martial law in December 2024.

The Supreme Court this month upheld a seven-year prison sentence against Yoon for offenses that included obstructing authorities attempting to detain him and violating legal procedures surrounding the martial law declaration.

Yoon was separately sentenced to life imprisonment in February after a lower court convicted him of leading an insurrection through the martial law declaration. His appeal is pending before the Seoul High Court.

In June, a lower court sentenced him to 30 years in prison for ordering military drone flights into North Korea in an alleged attempt to escalate tensions and create a justification for martial law. Yoon has appealed that ruling.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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