A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk-yeol to two years in prison on Monday after convicting him of illegally receiving free opinion polls in exchange for political support.
According to the Seoul Central District Court, Yoon violated the Political Funds Act by accepting 14 free opinion polls between 2021 and 2022, allegedly in coordination with his wife, Kim Keon Hee, in return for backing a candidate seeking his party's nomination in a parliamentary by-election.
The court said Yoon's actions had significantly undermined public trust in politics and democratic governance. Political broker Myung Tae-kyun was also convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Yoon's lawyers said they would appeal the ruling, arguing that the conviction was based solely on circumstantial evidence.
The latest sentence adds to Yoon's mounting legal troubles. He is already in prison while appealing a separate life sentence for leading what the court described as an insurrection after declaring martial law in 2024. In another unrelated case, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for allegedly sending drones into North Korea to manufacture a crisis ahead of the martial law declaration.
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee is due to face a Supreme Court ruling in the same political funding case on Thursday after previously being acquitted. She is also serving prison terms in separate bribery and stock manipulation cases.
Yoon was removed from office after declaring martial law in December 2024, triggering a political crisis that ended with parliament voting to overturn the decree and impeach him.
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