Special prosecutor and broadcasters granted permission for live coverage

Appeals court to deliver verdict Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol. [Yonhap]
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol. [Yonhap]

A Seoul appeals court has approved live broadcast coverage of the sentencing hearing for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is standing trial on charges of spreading false information during the 20th presidential election campaign.

The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 2-1, presided over by judges Baek Seung-yeop, Hwang Seung-tae and Kim Yeong-hyeon, said Friday it had granted live-broadcast requests from the Kim Keon Hee special prosecutor team, led by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki, and from broadcasters for the appeals court sentencing scheduled for Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Yoon is accused of falsely denying, at a Gwanhun Club debate in December 2021 while a presidential candidate, that Yoon had introduced attorney Lee Nam-seok to Yoon Woo-jin — the brother of then-prosecutor Yoon Dae-jin and a former head of the Yongsan Tax Office. Yoon also faces charges of making false public statements after telling reporters in January 2022 that Kim Keon Hee had never met Buddhist monk Jeon Seong-bae, also known as Geonjin Beopsa, when in fact the two had met on multiple occasions.

In July, the first-instance court found Yoon guilty on both counts and sentenced Yoon to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years. The court said the offense involved "a leading candidate in the presidential election publicly stating falsehoods about specific acts to benefit himself," adding that the impact on voters was "very significant" given that the candidate had made the false statements directly at public forums such as debates.

Under the Public Official Election Act, if a conviction carrying a fine of 1 million won ($749) or more is finalized against Yoon, the People Power Party — of which Yoon was a member — would be required to return to the National Election Commission the 39.7 billion won in campaign expenses reimbursed during the 20th presidential election.


bell@heraldcorp.com