Ex S. Korea Prez sentenced to 18-month suspended prison term over election campaign lies

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, for making false statements during his 2022 presidential campaign.

The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon violated election law by denying he introduced a lawyer to a former tax official and claiming neither he nor his wife Kim Keon Hee had met shaman Jeon Seong-bae.

The court noted that false information in debates and interviews significantly affects voters' decision-making, especially in a close election (Yoon won by 0.7 percentage points).

If the verdict is upheld on appeal, Yoon's election victory could be invalidated, and his party, the People Power Party, may have to repay 39.7 billion won in reimbursed campaign expenses.

Yoon plans to appeal the verdict, and this case adds to his broader legal troubles, including a life sentence for insurrection linked to his December 2024 martial law declaration.