A South Korean court has sentenced ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to two years in prison for violating the country's political funding laws. The court found him guilty of illegally accepting free, manipulated public opinion polls from a political broker in exchange for political favours before the 2022 presidential election. The ruling marks a new chapter in the disgraced leader's extensive legal troubles, while the political broker, Myung Tae-kyun, was also found guilty and received an 18-month prison sentence.
The Seoul Central District Court determined that Myung ran 14 customised opinion polls for Yoon without demanding payment. In exchange for those services, Yoon used his political influence to help an associate of Myung secure an official party nomination for a 2022 legislative by-election. The decision stands out because it departs from previous court rulings involving Yoon's wife, former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, who was acquitted on similar charges after an appellate court ruled that a clear trade-off could not be proven.
This polling case is just one of eight major criminal trials targeting the 65-year-old former leader. Yoon's presidency collapsed after his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024, which triggered South Korea's biggest political crisis in decades. Lawmakers successfully blocked the power grab, leading to Yoon's impeachment, removal from office, and subsequent arrest.
The new two-year sentence adds to a massive stack of legal penalties already accumulating against the former president. In February, Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment for masterminding the failed military coup under charges of insurrection. He received a separate 30-year sentence for abusing his power and allegedly manufacturing a security crisis by sending drones into North Korea. Furthermore, just last week, South Korea's Supreme Court finalised a seven-year prison term for Yoon for trying to block authorities from arresting him during the initial investigation.
Yoon’s legal team has strongly denied the new political funding charges, claiming the verdict relies entirely on inference rather than hard evidence. His lawyers have confirmed they will launch an immediate appeal against the decision.
