Yoon loses appeal in election law case, putting PPP campaign reimbursement at risk

The Seoul High Court on Wednesday upheld former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conviction for false statements during his 2022 presidential campaign. It upheld his sentence of 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, leaving the People Power Party facing repayment of 39.7 billion won if the conviction becomes final. Yoon’s lawyers said they would appeal to the Supreme Court.

The election law provides full reimbursement of eligible campaign expenses to presidential candidates who win or receive at least 15 percent of the vote.

A candidate’s party must return the funds if the candidate receives a prison sentence or a fine of at least 1 million won for an election law violation and the conviction becomes final.

The court found that Yoon had connected former tax official Yoon Woo-jin with lawyer Lee Nam-seok, despite denying that he introduced a lawyer to Yoon Woo-jin at a debate on Dec. 14, 2021.

In a Jan. 17, 2022, media interview, Yoon said a party official introduced him to shaman Jeon Seong-bae and denied meeting Jeon with his wife, Kim Keon Hee; the court concluded both accounts were false and that Yoon knew they were untrue.

The court said sentencing should not be distorted by consequences such as overturning an election result, which it said was a matter for lawmakers, and found the lower court had acted within its reasonable discretion.

Published Nov 4, 2026 2:49 pm KST

Updated Nov 4, 2026 4:28 pm KST

Conservative party faces possible $30 mil. repayment if conviction stands

People watch a televised broadcast of the appellate ruling in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s election law case, on a screen at Seoul Station in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis

An appellate court on Wednesday upheld a lower court's conviction of former President Yoon Suk Yeol for making false statements during his 2022 presidential campaign. If the ruling becomes final, it could require the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to repay 39.7 billion won ($30 million) in campaign reimbursements.

The Seoul High Court upheld the lower court’s sentence of 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, over statements Yoon made before his election in March 2022.

“By making false statements during the campaign, he infringed on voters’ right to make an informed decision and undermined the fairness of the election and the integrity of the electoral process,” judge Baek Seung-yeop said.

The verdict leaves the party facing a substantial financial liability, although the repayment obligation depends on the conviction becoming final.

Under the election law, presidential candidates who win or receive at least 15 percent of the vote qualify for full reimbursement of eligible campaign expenses. But the funds must be returned if a candidate receives a prison sentence or a fine of 1 million won or more for election law violations and the conviction becomes final.

The charges stemmed from the prosecutor-turned-politician’s campaign remarks about a lawyer he introduced to a former tax official, and his own personal ties with shaman Jeon Seong-bae, also known as Geonjin.

At a Kwanhun Club debate on Dec. 14, 2021, Yoon denied introducing a lawyer to Yoon Woo-jin, a former head of the Yongsan District Tax Office. The court found, however, that he had connected the former tax official with Lee Nam-seok, a lawyer who had also served in the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Central Investigation Department, when Yoon headed a division within the department in 2012.

“Whether the defendant had introduced a lawyer to Yoon Woo-jin was important in terms of assessing the defendant’s integrity and impartiality as a public official, given allegations that he had exerted influence in Yoon Woo-jin’s bribery case. Making false statements on the matter was therefore a serious offense,” the judge said.

In a media interview on Jan. 17, 2022, Yoon also claimed that a party official had introduced him to Jeon and denied meeting the shaman together with his wife, Kim Keon Hee.

“This information could help voters assess whether a candidate might be susceptible, even to a small degree, to influence from unofficial channels,” the judge said. “Yet the defendant made false statements about how his relationship with Jeon began and whether he and his wife had met him together … His conduct therefore warrants strong censure.”

The court concluded that both accounts were false and that Yoon knew they were untrue.

The court said judges should not give too much weight to consequences such as overturning an election result when deciding a sentence. How the law links criminal penalties to those consequences is a matter for lawmakers, it said, and should not distort sentencing decisions.

It also rejected the argument that Yoon’s sentence was too harsh, finding that the lower court had acted within its reasonable discretion.

After the ruling, Yoon’s lawyers said they would appeal to the Supreme Court.

首尔高等法院周三维持了前总统尹锡烈在2022年总统竞选期间作伪证的判决。法院维持了对其18个月监禁、缓刑三年的判决，如果判决最终生效，国民力量党将面临397亿韩元的赔偿。尹锡烈的律师表示将向最高法院提起上诉。

选举法规定，总统候选人如果赢得选举或获得至少 15% 的选票，其符合条件的竞选费用将得到全额报销。

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，且判决最终生效，则候选人所在政党必须退还竞选资金。

法院认定尹某将前税务官员尹宇镇与律师李南锡联系起来，尽管尹某否认在 2021 年 12 月 14 日的辩论中向尹宇镇介绍过律师。

2022 年 1 月 17 日，尹某在接受媒体采访时表示，一名党内官员向他介绍了巫师全成培，并否认曾与全成培及其妻子金建熙见过面；法院认定这两个说法都是虚假的，并且尹某明知这些说法不实。

法院表示，不应因推翻选举结果等后果而扭曲量刑，因为这是立法者的事，并认为下级法院在其合理自由裁量权范围内行事。

发布于2026年11月4日下午2:49（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年11月4日下午4:28（韩国标准时间）

如果定罪成立，保守党可能面临3000万美元的赔偿。

周三，在首尔车站，人们通过大屏幕观看前总统尹锡悦选举法案件上诉判决的电视直播。

周三，上诉法院维持了下级法院对前总统尹锡烈在2022年总统竞选期间发表虚假陈述的定罪判决。如果该判决最终生效，主要反对党国民力量党可能需要偿还397亿韩元（约合3000万美元）的竞选经费。

首尔高等法院维持了下级法院对尹锡悦在2022年3月当选前发表的言论判处18个月监禁，缓刑三年的判决。

“他在竞选期间发表虚假声明，侵犯了选民做出知情选择的权利，破坏了选举的公平性和选举过程的公正性，”法官白承烨说。

判决结果使当事人面临巨额经济损失，但偿还义务取决于定罪是否最终生效。

根据选举法，获得至少15%选票的总统候选人有资格获得符合条件的竞选费用全额报销。但如果候选人因违反选举法而被判处监禁或处以100万韩元以上的罚款，且判决最终生效，则必须退还这笔资金。

这些指控源于这位检察官出身的政治家在竞选期间发表的言论，他向一位前税务官员介绍了一位律师，以及他本人与巫师全成培（又名根真）的私人关系。

2021年12月14日，在观勋俱乐部的一次辩论中，尹某否认曾向龙山区税务局前局长尹宇镇介绍律师。然而，法院认定，尹某在2012年担任最高检察厅中央调查部一个部门的负责人期间，曾将尹宇镇介绍给李南硕，李南硕也是一名律师，曾在该部门任职。

法官表示：“鉴于被告被指控在尹宇镇受贿案中施加影响，被告是否向尹宇镇介绍过律师，对于评估被告作为公职人员的诚信和公正性至关重要。因此，就此事作虚假陈述是严重的犯罪行为。”

2022 年 1 月 17 日，尹锡悦在接受媒体采访时还声称，是一位党内官员将他介绍给了全智贤，并否认曾与妻子金建熙一起见过这位巫师。

法官表示：“这些信息可以帮助选民评估候选人是否容易受到非官方渠道的影响，哪怕影响程度很小。然而，被告就他与全某的关系是如何开始的，以及他和妻子是否一起见过全某一事作出了虚假陈述……因此，他的行为应受到严厉谴责。”

法院认定这两个说法都是虚假的，而且尹某明知这些说法不实。

法院表示，法官在量刑时不应过分重视诸如推翻选举结果等后果。法院指出，法律如何将刑事处罚与这些后果联系起来是立法者的职责，不应扭曲量刑决定。

法院还驳回了尹某的判决过重的说法，认为下级法院的判决在其合理自由裁量权范围内。

判决后，尹某的律师表示将向最高法院提起上诉。