The special counsel investigating first lady Kim Keon-hee has sought a two-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was indicted on charges of publishing false information, including a claim that he had never met Jeon Seong-bae, known as the "Geonjin shaman," during his presidential campaign.
The special counsel team, led by special prosecutor Min Joong-ki, made the request to the court Wednesday at the final hearing on Yoon's alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act. The hearing was held before the 21st Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Cho Soon-pyo. "We ask that he be sentenced to two years in prison," the special counsel said.
Yoon was brought to trial on charges of publishing false information by stating, at a debate hosted by the Kwanhoon Club on December 14, 2021, during the 20th presidential election campaign, that he had never introduced or connected a lawyer to Yoon Woo-jin, the former head of the Yongsan Tax Office and elder brother of former senior prosecutor Yoon Dae-jin.
He also faces charges of publishing false information in a January 17, 2022, interview, in which he stated to the effect that, regarding Jeon, "I was introduced to him, but I never met him with my wife." Yoon's side acknowledges making the remarks but maintains that they were not false statements contrary to objective facts.
