Former South Korean President Given Suspended Jail Term for Lying During Election Campaign

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors in Seoul, South Korea, on July 9, 2025. Kim Hong-Ji/Pool/ReutersA South Korean court has handed former president Yoon Suk-Yeol an 18-month prison sentence suspended for three years for lying during an election campaign.Seoul Central District Court on July 27 determined that Yoon falsely claimed during the 2022 presidential campaign that he had not introduced a lawyer to a former tax official.The court also found that Yoon had falsely claimed he had not met shaman Jeon Seong-bae, whom he had first met through his wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, and with whom he had maintained a long-standing relationship.Both relationships had come under scrutiny during that election campaign.“When a ​candidate personally announces false information at public events with a large impact, such as debates and ‌interviews, ⁠the effect on voters’ decision making is very significant,” the court said in its ruling.Yoon’s legal team said the ex-president maintains his innocence and will appeal the verdict.If the ruling is upheld, Yoon’s People Power Party may be forced to return 39.7 billion won ($27 million) in election expenses to the government.Under South Korean election law, if a candidate secures 15 percent of the vote or wins the presidential election, the parties will be reimbursed for their campaign expenses.However, if a candidate is later convicted of an election law violation resulting in a jail term or a fine of at least 1 million won ($680), that party must return the funds to the National Election Commission.Series of TrialsThis conviction is the latest outcome in a series of eight trials the former president is facing, including his February conviction for abuse of authority and orchestrating an insurrection, connected to his failed 2024 martial law decree.Yoon was ousted as president after attempting to impose martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. He backed down after six hours following a parliamentary vote to overturn the decree.The former president said at the time he had declared martial law in order to protect the constitution because the opposition, which controlled the National Assembly, was sympathetic to communists and North Korea.The first in a series of convictions came on Jan. 16, when the Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of mobilizing the presidential security service to prevent authorities from detaining him, fabricating official documents, and failing to follow the legal process required for declaring martial law.He was sentenced to five years, but that was increased to seven years in April. On July 9, South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld this conviction and sentencing.A person walks in front of a TV screen broadcasting a news report on the sentencing trial of South Korean former President Yoon Suk Yeol in his insurrection case, stemming from his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024, in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 19, 2026. Kim Soo-hyeon/ReutersHe was then convicted on Feb. 19 for the martial law decree, receiving a life sentence. Prosecutors had initially called for the death penalty, though there has been a moratorium on carrying out capital punishment since 1998.The conservative politician’s third conviction came on June 12, when he was sentenced to 30 years in prison after the court found him guilty of ordering the flying of drones over Pyongyang, North Korea, in October 2024 to provoke the North Korean regime and manufacture a security crisis to use as a pretext for his declaration of martial law.Yoon was then convicted on July 13 of accepting illegal political funds in the form of free opinion polls and received a two-year prison sentence on top of his other multiple custodial sentences.Yoon and his legal team deny all charges and are appealing the convictions.Reuters contributed to this report.