Former President Yoon Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison in First Trial Over Opinion Poll Manipulation

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to two years in prison in the first trial on charges of intervening in the People Power Party's nomination process by receiving free opinion polls from Myung Tae-kyun. The 33rd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jin-kwan) determined that there was an implicit agreement between former President Yoon and Myung to provide the opinion polls free of charge. The court acknowledged that the nomination of former lawmaker Kim Young-sun was provided in return for the free provision of services and found Yoon guilty on 14 out of the 58 counts.

The court ruled that former President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon Hee were co-conspirators. However, First Lady Kim was found not guilty in both the first and second trials on the same charges.

The Democratic Party's special prosecutor team has requested a postponement of the date for the Supreme Court ruling for First Lady Kim, asking for a review of the first trial verdict against former President Yoon.