The Seoul Central District Court sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to two years in prison for illegally receiving political funds in the form of free opinion polls from political broker Myong Tae Kyun. The court found him partially guilty of violating the Political Funds Act, ordering the confiscation of 13.96 million won (about $9,300).

The court agreed with special prosecutor Min Joong-ki that Yoon promised to support the nomination of former lawmaker Kim Young-sun from the conservative People Power Party in the June 2022 by-elections in exchange for the poll results. Myong Tae Kyun received 18 months in prison, with the court officially recognizing that 14 polls were provided free of charge between April 2021 and March 2022.

The verdict stated that Yoon's actions undermined trust in the political system and public confidence in democracy, making punishment inevitable. Yoon's defense called the ruling "difficult to explain" and announced plans to appeal, citing a contradiction with a parallel case where the Seoul appellate court fully acquitted former first lady Kim Keon Hee on similar charges in April.

Yoon is already serving a sentence for obstructing his own arrest and was sentenced to life imprisonment in February for organizing an unconstitutional military rebellion during his attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.

In June, the former president was also sentenced to 30 years in prison for flying drones over North Korean territory, which led to heightened defenses in Pyongyang and a domestic scandal.

Source: podrobno.uz