Appeals court to rule on ex-President Yoon's high-stakes election law case

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SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- An appeals court was set to rule Wednesday on former President Yoon Suk Yeol's election law violation case in a ruling that could force the main opposition party to cough up nearly US$30 million in election expenses, if finalized.

The Seoul High Court was scheduled to hold the hearing at 2 p.m., which will be televised live, over allegations that Yoon made false statements during his presidential campaign as a candidate for the PPP before his March 2022 election.

A district court sentenced Yoon to an 18-month prison term, suspended for three years, in July after finding him guilty of the charges.

If the sentence is finalized through appeals, Yoon's election will be nullified and the People Power Party will be forced to return its reimbursed election expenses of 39.7 billion won ($29.5 million).

This file photo, taken Sept. 26, 2025, shows former President Yoon Suk Yeol entering a court room at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

Under the election law, the state fully reimburses political parties for campaign spending if their candidate wins at least 15 percent of the vote.

Parties, however, must return all reimbursed funds if the candidate receives a finalized prison sentence or a fine of at least 1 million won for election law violations -- a penalty that also voids their election.

Yoon was charged with falsely claiming during a December 2021 press event that he had not introduced a lawyer to a former tax official -- a brother of Yoon's close associate when he was a prosecutor.

He also faces charges of lying in a January 2022 interview by claiming that a party official had introduced him to shaman Jeon Seong-bae while denying that he and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, had met Jeon together.

The jailed former president has been standing multiple criminal trials since his failed bid to impose martial law in December 2024 and his subsequent ouster from office.

A district court sentenced him to life in prison in February for leading an insurrection through his martial law bid. That trial is currently under review by an appellate court.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (END)

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Appeals court to rule on ex-President Yoon's high-stakes election law case

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首尔，11月4日（韩联社）——上诉法院将于周三对前总统尹锡烈违反选举法一案作出裁决，如果最终裁决结果确定，主要反对党可能被迫支付近3000万美元的选举费用。

首尔高等法院原定于下午 2 点举行听证会，届时将进行电视直播。听证会将审理尹锡悦在 2022 年 3 月总统选举前作为人民进步党候选人竞选期间发表虚假声明的指控。

7 月，地方法院认定尹某罪名成立，判处其 18 个月有期徒刑，缓刑三年。

如果上诉最终维持原判，尹锡悦的当选将被宣布无效，国民力量党将被迫退还其已报销的 397 亿韩元（2950 万美元）选举费用。

这张摄于2025年9月26日的资料照片显示，韩国前总统尹锡烈进入位于首尔南部的首尔中央地方法院法庭。（联营照片）（韩联社）

根据选举法，如果候选人赢得至少 15% 的选票，州政府将全额报销政党的竞选支出。

但是，如果候选人因违反选举法而被判处监禁或罚款至少 100 万韩元，则相关政党必须退还所有已偿还的资金——这种处罚也会导致其当选无效。

尹某被指控在 2021 年 12 月的一次新闻发布会上谎称，他没有向一名前税务官员介绍律师——该官员是尹某担任检察官时其亲密同事的兄弟。

他还面临在 2022 年 1 月的一次采访中撒谎的指控，他声称一名党政官员将他介绍给了巫师全成培，同时否认他和妻子金建熙曾一起见过全成培。

自 2024 年 12 月试图实施戒严令失败并随后被罢免以来，这位被监禁的前总统一直面临多项刑事审判。

今年2月，地方法院以他领导叛乱并试图实施戒严令为由，判处他终身监禁。目前，该案正在上诉法院进行复审。

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr (完)

特别检察官敦促上诉法院维持尹某违反选举法的判决。

（第三条）上诉法院宣判前总统尹锡悦“自由民意调查”案无罪

（第四部分）尹锡悦因违反选举法被定罪后，人民进步党面临损失400亿韩元的风险。

（第四条）前总统尹锡悦因试图实施戒严令被判处终身监禁

上诉法院将对前总统尹锡悦的高风险选举法案件作出裁决