SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul district court was set to rule Monday on former President Yoon Suk Yeol's election law violation charges in a case that could have major implications for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

The Seoul Central District Court was scheduled to hand down its verdict in a live-televised trial at 2 p.m. over allegations that Yoon made false claims as the PPP's presidential candidate ahead of the 2022 presidential election.

Should Yoon be convicted and given a final sentence of more than 1 million won (US$685) in fines or imprisonment, the PPP must return the 39.7 billion won it was reimbursed in election expenses under the election law.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki has requested a two-year prison term for Yoon.

Min's team earlier indicted Yoon on suspicion of falsely claiming during a December 2021 press event that he had never introduced a lawyer to a former tax official.

Yoon is also accused of lying in a January 2022 interview when he said a party official had introduced him to shaman Jeon Seong-bae and denied meeting Jeon together with his wife, Kim Keon Hee.

The special counsel team believes Yoon had in fact introduced the lawyer to the former tax official, and was introduced to Jeon by his wife and had known the shaman for over a decade.

Yoon has been standing multiple trials following his failed martial law bid in December 2024. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in February for leading an insurrection through his failed bid in the case's first-instance trial.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

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