Former South Korean President Sentenced Over Poll Manipulation Scheme
In a significant legal development in South Korea, a court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to two years in prison. This ruling comes amid allegations that Yoon benefited from manipulated opinion polls, which were allegedly provided free of charge by a political broker, potentially aiding his 2022 presidential campaign in exchange for political favors.
The sentencing marks one of several legal battles Yoon faces after being impeached last year following a brief, yet controversial imposition of martial law in December 2024. This event plunged the nation into its most severe political crisis in recent history.
Recently, the nation’s Supreme Court upheld a seven-year prison sentence against Yoon, marking the first case to reach this level since his ouster. Yoon, who is currently appealing several convictions, including a life sentence imposed in February over his attempted power grab, plans to contest the latest ruling as well.
The Seoul Central District Court found that Yoon breached political funding laws. Myung Tae-kyun, the political broker involved, received a 1.5-year sentence for the same offense. Myung was accused of conducting 14 manipulated opinion polls for Yoon between June and October 2021, influencing his party nomination before his election victory in March 2022.
The court highlighted that Myung’s objective was to see former lawmaker Kim Young-sun emerge as the conservative People Power Party candidate in a 2022 legislative by-election. Yoon allegedly exerted undue influence within his party to accommodate Myung’s ambitions, facilitated by the manipulated polling data.
Yoon’s unexpected declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, lasting only a few hours, intensified national turmoil. The National Assembly, defying a blockade by armed forces, repealed the martial law, subsequently forcing Yoon’s government to rescind it.
Following his impeachment by the liberal-majority legislature, Yoon was formally removed by the Constitutional Court. After a brief release in 2025, he was re-arrested in July and now faces multiple trials while in detention.
