(3rd LD) Appeals court acquits ex-President Yoon in 'free opinion polls' case
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- An appellate court overturned a lower court ruling Wed...
Seoul's appellate court has overturned a lower court's conviction, acquitting former President Yoon Suk Yeol of charges stemming from receiving free opinion polls during the 2022 presidential election, in violation of the political funds law. The court ruled in favor of Yoon, finding him not guilty of the lower court's two-year prison sentence.
The charges against Yoon arose from alleged collusion with his wife and receiving 58 free opinion polls totaling around 270 million won (US$202,000) from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun between April 2021 and March 2022. The appellate court determined that Myung's provision of opinion polls could not be classified as political donations as they lacked quantifiable property benefits.
Additionally, the court noted the absence of evidence demonstrating an agreement between Yoon, his wife, and Myung for the free opinion polls. Myung was also acquitted, having previously been sentenced to 18 months in prison. This ruling brings relief to Yoon, who has faced multiple criminal trials since his failed 2024 martial law bid and subsequent removal from office.
Written by urgent.news from Yonhap News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
