A South Korean court on Monday sentenced ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to two years in prison for illegally receiving manipulated opinion polls for free from a political broker. The court found that this action potentially helped Yoon secure his party's nomination and win the 2022 presidential election in exchange for political favors.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon violated the country’s political funding law. The political broker, Myung Tae-kyun, received a 1 1/2-year prison sentence for the same charge. Myung was accused of conducting 14 free opinion polls for Yoon between June and October 2021, using manipulated data. The court stated that Yoon exerted undue influence on his party to fulfill Myung’s request in exchange for the polls.
This conviction is among seven trials facing the former conservative president. Yoon was impeached last year following a brief imposition of martial law in December 2024, which led to a significant political crisis. Last week, the country's Supreme Court upheld a seven-year prison sentence against Yoon in another case.
Yoon's legal team has stated they will appeal Monday's ruling, arguing it is based on insufficient evidence. Yoon was previously impeached by the liberal-led legislature and formally removed by the Constitutional Court. After a period of release, he was re-arrested in July 2025 and has been undergoing multiple criminal trials while in detention.