Seoul:Next week's sentencing hearing for former President Yoon Suk Yeol concerning election law violation charges will be broadcast live, according to court officials. This high-stakes ruling could compel the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to repay nearly US$30 million in reimbursed election expenses.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul High Court has permitted broadcasters to air the sentencing, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Yoon had previously been sentenced by a district court in July to an 18-month prison term, suspended for three years, for making false statements during his campaign before the March 2022 presidential election, which he won as the PPP's candidate.
Yoon was accused of falsely stating during a December 2021 press event that he had never introduced a lawyer to a former tax official. This official is the older brother of former senior prosecutor Yoon Dae-jin, a close associate of Yoon from his time in the prosecution. Additionally, Yoon faces charges of lying in a January 2022 interview by claiming a party official introduced him to shaman Jeon Seong-bae, while denying that he and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, had met Jeon together.
The July sentence, if upheld by the appeals court next week and finalized through a potential Supreme Court appeal, would nullify Yoon's election. Consequently, the PPP would be required to return 39.7 billion won (approximately $29.7 million) to the state, as per election law stipulations for candidates receiving finalized sentences or fines over 1 million won for election law violations. Under the law, political parties gain government reimbursement for campaign spending if their candidate secures at least 15 percent of the vote but must return these funds if the candidate is sentenced as described.