(2nd LD) Ex-President Yoon's election law conviction upheld; PPP at risk of returning US$30 mln in campaign funds

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SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a suspended prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol for violating the election law in a high-stakes trial that puts the main opposition party at risk of returning nearly US$30 million in election expenses.

The Seoul High Court maintained a lower court ruling, sentencing Yoon to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, for making false statements as a presidential candidate for the People Power Party (PPP) in the lead-up to his March 2022 election.

If the verdict is finalized through appeal, Yoon's presidential election will be nullified and the PPP will be required to return the 39.7 billion won ($29.6 million) it was reimbursed in campaign expenses under the election law.

After the ruling, Yoon's lawyers said they intended to appeal to the Supreme Court.

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)

The trial has been closely watched as it carries major implications for both Yoon and the PPP.

Under the election law, the state fully reimburses political parties for election 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 more than 1 million won for election law violations. The penalties also nullify the candidate's 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 from his time as a prosecutor.

Special prosecutors also accused him 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 appellate court found Yoon guilty on both counts of making false statements.

"As a political party-nominated candidate in a presidential election, the defendant, who can be seen as having the duty to provide information to make sound judgments, made false public statements," the court said.

"The voters' right to make a proper choice was infringed, and electoral fairness and procedural legality were undermined."

The jailed former president's latest conviction comes as he has been standing multiple criminal trials following 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)

Special counsel urges appeals court to uphold Yoon's election law conviction

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(4th LD) PPP at risk of losing 40 bln won after Yoon's election law conviction

(4th LD) Ex-President Yoon sentenced to life imprisonment over martial law bid

(2nd LD) Ex-President Yoon's election law conviction upheld; PPP at risk of returning US$30 mln in campaign funds

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首尔，11月4日（韩联社）——周三，一家上诉法院维持了对前总统尹锡烈因违反选举法而判处的缓刑。这是一起备受瞩目的审判，主要反对党面临退还近3000万美元选举开支的风险。

首尔高等法院维持了下级法院的判决，判处尹锡悦 18 个月有期徒刑，缓刑三年，罪名是他在 2022 年 3 月总统选举前作为国民力量党（PPP）候选人发表虚假声明。

如果上诉最终维持原判，尹锡悦的总统选举结果将被宣布无效，人民进步党将被要求退还根据选举法报销的 397 亿韩元（2960 万美元）竞选费用。

判决后，尹某的律师表示他们打算向最高法院提起上诉。

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）

这场审判备受关注，因为它对尹锡悦和人民进步党都具有重大影响。

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超过100万韩元，则相关政党必须退还所有已偿还的资金。这些处罚还将导致该候选人的当选资格无效。

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——这名前税务官员是尹某担任检察官时期一位亲密同事的兄弟。

特别检察官还指控他在 2022 年 1 月的一次采访中撒谎，声称是一位党政官员把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。

上诉法院认定尹某两项虚假陈述罪名均成立。

法院表示：“作为总统选举中政党提名的候选人，被告有义务提供信息以做出合理的判断，但他却发表了虚假的公开声明。”

“选民做出正确选择的权利受到了侵犯，选举的公平性和程序合法性受到了破坏。”

这位被监禁的前总统最近一次被定罪，此前他因在 2024 年 12 月试图实施戒严令失败并随后被罢免而面临多项刑事审判。

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

（第二项议程）前总统尹锡悦违反选举法的判决维持原判；人民进步党面临退还3000万美元竞选资金的风险