Seoul High Court to Deliver Verdict on Yoon Suk Yeol's Free Polls Case

An appellate panel in Seoul is set to issue its judgment on former President Yoon Suk Yeol's alleged receipt of complimentary opinion polls before the 2022 presidential race. A district court previously handed Yoon a two-year prison term for violating the Political Funds Act after finding that 14 of 58 polls, valued at roughly 270 million won, constituted illegal donations from self-styled power broker Myung Tae-kyun. Prosecutors argue the scheme involved Yoon and his spouse, Kim Keon Hee, though the lower court ruled the remaining 44 polls were not given with their consent.

The special counsel, Min Joong-ki, is pressing for a four-year sentence. Kim Keon Hee has been cleared in separate trials and awaits a final Supreme Court decision. This ruling comes amid multiple criminal cases linked to Yoon's failed 2024 martial-law attempt and removal from office.