South Korea Supreme Court reverses Yoon expense disclosure ruling as audit commissioner is arrested

South Korea’s Supreme Court 3rd Division, led by Justice Noh Kyung‑pil, overturned a lower‑court decision that had ordered the release of former President Yoon Suk‑yeol’s special‑activity expenses, including a Cannes‑film‑festival ticket and a 4.5 million‑won dinner. The court sent the case back to the Seoul High Court, noting that the plaintiff no longer has legal standing because the records were transferred to the Presidential Archives after Yoon’s removal.

In a separate investigation, a special prosecutor team indicted audit commissioner Yoo Byung‑ho on abuse‑of‑authority and obstruction‑of‑audit charges related to the presidential residence relocation. Yoo, who served as audit‑office secretary‑general under the Yoon administration, is accused of directing a written inquiry into an interior‑design firm linked to First Lady Kim Keon‑hee and of blocking face‑to‑face investigations. His arrest marks the first detention of a sitting audit commissioner in South Korea.