A South Korean court on Monday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to two years in prison after finding him guilty of illegally receiving free opinion polling services worth 270 million won (about $180,000) from a political broker.
According to the Seoul Central District Court, Yoon violated political funding laws by accepting 14 rounds of opinion polling at no cost before later using his political influence to help secure the nomination of a former lawmaker as repayment.
Yoon denied the allegations throughout the trial, insisting he neither requested the polling services nor offered any political favours in return.
The ruling differs from previous court decisions involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee, in which judges found there was no evidence of a quid pro quo related to the same polling services.
Yoon has the right to appeal Monday’s verdict.