In brief
A Seoul appellate court upheld a suspended 18‑month term for former President Yoon Suk‑yeol over false statements, putting his 2022 election at risk of being invalidated. The ruling could force the People Power Party to refund about 39.7 billion won, or roughly US$30 million, in campaign expenses. The decision confirms Yoon’s earlier conviction for election law violations and underscores a potential legal rebuke for the ruling party.
On Wednesday, the Seoul High Court upheld a suspended prison sentence for former South Korean President Yoon Suk‑yeol, ruling that his 2022 election could be invalidated under Korean law.
The appellate court confirmed an 18‑month sentence suspended for three years that the lower court had imposed for Yoon’s false statements during his presidential campaign.
According to the court, a fining over 1 million won in the final ruling would trigger invalidation of an elected official’s mandate, and Yoon meets that threshold. Because Yoon is a former president, he will not lose any office, but his 2022 victory would become null and void retroactively.
Both Xinhua and Yonhap report that the People Power Party would have to return roughly 39.7 billion won – about US$30 million – in campaign expenses reimbursed by the national election commission if the invalidation becomes final.
The court found Yoon’s claims during a January 2022 forum interview, that he and his wife had never met shamanist broker Jeon Seong‑bae, and a December 2021 debate statement that he had never introduced a lawyer to a former district tax chief investigating bribery, were false and constituted dissemination of false information under election law.
Only Xinhua mentions Yoon’s prior sentences for insurrection and treason, noting those convictions were tied to his martial‑law declaration in December 2024 and a separate treason charge in June 2025.
