Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has been given a suspended 18-month prison sentence after being found guilty of violating election law during his 2022 presidential campaign.
The ruling means Yoon will avoid immediate imprisonment unless the suspended sentence is overturned or he commits another offence during the suspension period. The verdict can still be appealed.
If the conviction is upheld through the appeals process, the political consequences could extend beyond Yoon himself.
His conservative People Power Party may be required to repay 39.7 billion won (around $27.1 million) in election expenses that were reimbursed by South Korea's National Election Commission following his presidential victory.
The reimbursement system is designed to support candidates who meet the legal requirements for campaign funding, but a final conviction for election law violations can trigger repayment.
The election law conviction adds to a growing list of legal troubles for Yoon following his dramatic fall from power.
Earlier this year, a Seoul court sentenced the former president to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy over a covert drone operation into North Korea in October 2024.
Prosecutors argued the flights were intended to "fabricate wartime conditions" that could justify his subsequent declaration of martial law. The emergency martial law was declared by Yoon on the night of Dec 3, 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.
Yoon denied any involvement, with his lawyers insisting he neither ordered nor approved the drone operation.
He has also appealed a separate life sentence handed down earlier this year for leading an insurrection after his short-lived martial law declaration, which prosecutors said was intended to paralyse the National Assembly.
Yoon was removed from office after South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, ending one of the country's most turbulent presidencies and triggering a snap election won by liberal leader Lee Jae Myung.
His latest conviction, although suspended, further deepens the legal and political challenges facing the former president as multiple criminal cases continue to move through South Korea's courts.
U.S. forces have struck three Iranian oil tankers after Iran launched ballistic missiles at two Navy ships, according to U.S. Central Command. ...
Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on efforts to end t...
An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau has disrupted air travel, school activities and fishing operations, with hundreds of passenger...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
Two people have been rescued alive from a tunnel in Nepal, nine days after catastrophic floods devastated the country, as rescuers continue searching for survivors.
Two Greek military pilots were killed on Saturday when an F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed during an air show at Tanagra air base, north of Athens, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on efforts to end the Ukraine war.
U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told reporters on Saturday that there is no plan underway to force Palestinians out of Gaza, following Israel's government proposal on relocation plans for people in Gaza.
A Chinese national was pulled alive from a tunnel in Nepal on Saturday, authorities said, 10 days after a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through a Himalayan valley, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving more than 5,600 missing.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment