Ex-President Yoon gets 2 years prison for accepting free polls

A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk-yeol to two years in prison for accepting free public opinion surveys from a political broker, Myung Tae-gyun. The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, guilty of receiving approximately 27.92 million won (about $20,000) in illicit benefits through 14 instances of free polls out of 58 received. The court ruled that Yoon, in return for political connections and consultations related to his presidential campaign, intervened in the nomination of Kim Young-sun, a former lawmaker, at Myung's request after the election.

Myung Tae-gyun, also convicted in the case, received a sentence of 18 months in prison and was taken into custody. He had previously been acquitted of charges related to accepting nomination funds in a separate trial. The court's decision hinges on the interpretation that Myung covering the cost of the opinion polls constituted a political donation to Yoon's campaign, as Yoon and his wife should have borne these expenses.

This verdict stands in stark contrast to the earlier acquittal of Kim Keon-hee in a similar case. In that instance, the court cited the absence of a written contract for the polls as a reason for acquittal, a decision widely criticized as unrealistic and lenient, given the nature of such clandestine political dealings. Another court had also ruled that the nomination of Kim Young-sun was a legitimate decision by the People Power Party, despite Yoon's recorded phone calls indicating his involvement. The Hankyoreh commentary criticizes these previous rulings, suggesting they ignored clear evidence and failed to align with public common sense, potentially eroding trust in the judiciary.

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Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee received free public opinion polls from Myung Tae-gyun, and it is recognized that they gained financial benefits totaling more than 27.92 million won from 14 out of 58 instances. It appears that Yoon Suk-yeol, in return for connecting with political figures and providing consultations related to the presidential election, was asked by Myung Tae-gyun regarding the nomination of Kim Young-sun after the presidential election and exercised influence.