The first-instance sentencing hearing for President Yoon Suk Yeol regarding violations of the Public Official Election Act is being broadcast live at Seoul Station on the 27th. [Photo=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s legal team has expressed strong opposition and announced plans to appeal immediately following a district court’s first-instance ruling that sentenced him to a suspended prison term over remarks made during the 20th presidential election.

On the 27th, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that remarks made by then-candidate Yoon during televised debates and media interviews constituted the dissemination of false information under the Public Official Election Act, sentencing him to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years.

In response, President Yoon’s side argued that the court distorted the intent and context of the remarks and imposed an excessive sentence by injecting political interpretations.

Regarding the contentious remarks about former Yongsan Tax Office Chief Yoon Woo-jin, President Yoon’s team has consistently maintained that the point was that he "did not assist in the formal appointment of legal counsel."

They hold that the court's categorization of these remarks as false, based solely on the perception of voters, is legally unsound, as a clear distinction must be made between private acquaintances or casual guidance and the formal appointment of a legal representative.

Furthermore, regarding his relationship with Jeon Seong-bae, known as "Geonjin Beopsa," they argued that characterizing his statements as false based on subjective criteria such as the depth or frequency of interactions—occurrences common during the process of meeting numerous people as a candidate—is a ruling that unduly restricts autonomous party activities and freedom of expression during an election.

In particular, conservative circles are criticizing the ruling as an instance of judicial overreach, arguing that punishing a presidential candidate’s spontaneous remarks or legitimate exercise of the right to clarify positions with strict criminal penalties distorts the political judgment of voters.

If a sentence of a fine of 1 million won or more is finalized by the Supreme Court for this charge, the People Power Party would be required to return approximately 39.7 billion won to the National Election Commission, including the election expenses reimbursed from the previous presidential race.

With tens of billions of won in election subsidies at stake, there is growing concern that this ruling carries the nature of political suppression aimed at the conservative camp as a whole.

President Yoon’s side has emphasized that they will immediately appeal to rectify the court’s misunderstanding of legal principles and misapprehension of facts, adding that they will work to prove the truthfulness and legal legitimacy of the remarks in the higher court.