Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to two years in prison on Monday after a Seoul court found him guilty of illegally accepting manipulated opinion polling services during his successful 2022 presidential campaign in exchange for political favors.
The ruling marks another legal setback for the ousted conservative leader, who is already facing multiple criminal convictions and appeals following his removal from office after the failed declaration of martial law in December 2024.
The Seoul Central District Court found that Yoon violated South Korea’s Political Funds Act by accepting 14 rounds of opinion polling services free of charge from political broker Myung Tae kyun between June and October 2021. The court ruled that the surveys, conducted using manipulated data, were intended to strengthen Yoon’s bid for the People Power Party presidential nomination ahead of the March 2022 election.
In return, the court concluded that Yoon improperly used his influence within the ruling party to support former lawmaker Kim Young sun’s nomination in the 2022 legislative by election, fulfilling a request made by Myung.
The court sentenced Myung to 18 months in prison for his role in the scheme and ordered that he be taken into custody immediately.
Yoon denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings, insisting he neither requested the polling services nor promised political favors in exchange. His legal team said Monday’s verdict was based on insufficient evidence and confirmed they would file an appeal.
The decision differs from earlier rulings involving former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, who was acquitted in a separate case connected to the same polling services after courts concluded prosecutors failed to prove she personally benefited or entered into an unlawful arrangement.
Presiding Judge Lee Jin gwan said opinion polls play an important role in shaping voter decisions and that accepting undisclosed political contributions through polling services undermines public confidence in democratic elections.
“Opinion polls can influence voters’ decisions, and their credibility forms an important foundation of democracy,” the judge said.
The court determined that although prosecutors originally alleged Yoon received 58 free surveys worth more than 270 million won, evidence supported convictions involving 14 surveys valued at about 27.92 million won, or approximately $18,600.
Monday’s conviction adds to a growing list of legal troubles confronting the 65 year old former president.
Last week, South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld a separate seven year prison sentence for obstructing authorities during efforts to arrest him. Yoon is also appealing a life sentence imposed earlier this year after being convicted of leading an insurrection linked to his short lived declaration of martial law in late 2024.
The martial law order, announced unexpectedly on Dec. 3, 2024, lasted only a few hours before lawmakers entered the National Assembly and voted to overturn it, forcing Yoon’s Cabinet to revoke the measure. Parliament later impeached him, and the Constitutional Court formally removed him from office, triggering one of South Korea’s most significant political crises in decades.
Yoon remains in detention while defending himself against several additional criminal cases.
The latest ruling underscores the broad legal fallout from South Korea’s political turmoil and highlights the country’s increasingly aggressive enforcement of campaign finance and election laws. Legal experts say the case also reinforces judicial scrutiny of political polling practices, which play a significant role in shaping public opinion during highly competitive elections.
With appeals still pending in several major cases, Yoon’s legal future remains uncertain. Higher courts will now determine whether Monday’s conviction and his earlier sentences will stand, while separate proceedings involving former First Lady Kim Keon Hee are also expected to continue in the coming weeks.
