Appeals court set to rule on ex-President Yoon's trial over free opinion polls

A Seoul appellate court will deliver its verdict on Wednesday concerning former President Yoon Suk Yeol's allegations of receiving complimentary opinion polls prior to the 2022 presidential election. After a lower court imposed a two-year prison sentence on him for breaching the Political Funds Act, the court is anticipated to deliver its ruling at 2 p.m. Special counsel Min Joong-ki's office had previously charged Yoon with collaborating with his spouse and securing 58 opinion polls, valued at approximately 270 million won ($202,000), free of charge from self-proclaimed political figure Myung Tae-kyun from April 2021 to March 2022.

The lower court convicted Yoon on 14 of these instances, deeming them unlawful political donations; the remaining 44 could not be considered as granted with the couple's approval. The special counsel team has requested a four-year prison term for Yoon. His wife, Kim Keon Hee, was found innocent of the same charges in her separate first- and second-instance trials and is currently awaiting a final decision from the Supreme Court. Yoon is currently facing multiple criminal trials following his failed presidential campaign.