The Seoul Central District Court sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, after finding him guilty of violating election law by making false statements during his 2022 presidential campaign [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

Yoon was convicted of denying that he introduced a lawyer to a former tax official under investigation and denying meetings with shaman Jeon Seong-bae, claims the court ruled as false [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The court said, "When a candidate personally announces false information at public events with a large impact, such as debates and interviews, the effect on voters’ decision-making is very significant" [1]. Another ruling noted, "The defendant, a leading candidate in the presidential election — a procedure for selecting the nation’s highest public official — publicized false information regarding his specific actions to his advantage," thus compromising voters' ability to make informed decisions [4].

Prosecutors had sought a two-year prison term, arguing that Yoon’s false statements helped divert scrutiny during the tight 2022 race, which he won by a margin of just 0.7 percentage points [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Under South Korean election law, candidates sentenced to prison or fined for election offenses must vacate office and their parties must forfeit state campaign reimbursements [1, 2, 4, 5, 6]. If the sentence is upheld, Yoon's People Power Party will have to return 39.7 billion won (around US$27 million) in election expenses reimbursed by the National Election Commission [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

Yoon denies any wrongdoing and plans to appeal the verdict, according to his legal counsel [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

This is the latest in a series of legal troubles facing Yoon. He was sentenced to life imprisonment earlier this year for insurrection linked to his failed December 2024 martial law declaration, during which he attempted to dissolve parliament but was ousted after six hours [1, 4, 6]. In June 2026, the same court sentenced him to 30 years for abuse of power and aiding the enemy by authorizing drone strikes over Pyongyang in 2024 [6].

Yoon ran his 2022 campaign amid controversies over his disputed statements about meetings with Jeon Seong-bae and involvement in introducing a lawyer to a tax official under investigation [1, 2, 3].

The court handed down its ruling on July 27, 2026. Yoon’s appeal will determine whether the sentence and the return of campaign funds will be enforced [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].