Beirut: Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to an 18-month prison term, suspended for three years, after being found guilty of violating the election law during his 2022 presidential campaign, local media reported. The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon made false statements while he was the presidential candidate of the then-main opposition People Power Party ahead of the March 2022 election.

According to Anadolu Agency, if the conviction is upheld with a fine of at least 1 million won ($685) or a prison sentence, the People Power Party will be required under election law to return the 39.7 billion won ($27 million) it received in reimbursed campaign expenses. Yoon, who was elected president on the People Power Party ticket, was later removed from office following his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.

Yoon has been in custody since July and faces at least eight criminal cases related to the failed martial law bid. In June, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy by sending drones over the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, in 2024.