Yoon Suk Yeol acquitted in second trial over opinion poll scandal

The Seoul High Court has acquitted former President Yoon Suk Yeol and political broker Myung Tae-kyun of violating the Political Funds Act. This appellate ruling reverses a lower court's decision that had found Yoon partially guilty.

Prosecutors had accused Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, of conspiring to receive approximately 270 million won worth of 58 free opinion polls from Myung between June 2021 and March 2022. While the first instance court convicted Yoon of receiving 14 of these polls and sentenced him to two years in prison, the appellate court ruled that there was no evidence of an agreement or consensus between the parties to conduct or provide the polls for free.

The court stated that it was difficult to recognize an intent to donate political funds, contradicting the previous ruling which suggested an implicit agreement existed. Notably, Kim Keon-hee had previously been found not guilty in both the first and second trials, with courts determining that Myung provided the polls unilaterally to expand his own political influence or business activities.