2026 Election Scandal: Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Geon-hee Face Court Over 2.7 Billion Won Polling Allegations

Translation result

The trial over allegations that former President Yoon Suk Yeol received free polling services from political broker Myung Tae-gyun has entered a new phase. With the court calling Kim Keon-hee as a witness, the couple is expected to appear face-to-face in the same courtroom. Legal observers say that, given the string of acquittals in related cases, the former president’s case may follow a similar course.

According to the legal community on the 21st, Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 33, presided over by Judge Lee Jin-gwan, held the first hearing on the 17th of this month for Yoon and Myung, who face charges of violating the Political Funds Act. The court plans to complete hearings by mid-May after witness examinations.

At the first hearing, the court accepted all three witnesses requested by the special prosecutor: Kang Hye-kyung, former deputy director of the Future Korea Institute; Kim Tae-yeol, former director of the Future Korea Institute; and Mrs. Kim Keon-hee. The former president’s legal team objected, arguing that Kang and Kim had already been examined during Mrs. Kim’s trial and that further questioning was unnecessary. They also argued that Mrs. Kim could invoke her right to refuse testimony, rendering further questioning pointless. The court rejected those arguments, saying that “given the importance of the matter, witnesses should be given an opportunity to be questioned.” It summoned Mr. Kang for the 24th of this month, Mr. Kim for the 7th of next month, and Mrs. Kim for the 14th. As a result, on the 14th of next month the former president and Mrs. Kim are expected to be in the same courtroom as defendant and witness, respectively.

Prosecutors allege that the former president conspired with Mrs. Kim to receive 58 polls—worth a total of about 270 million KRW (approximately $202,500)—from Mr. Myung free of charge between April 2021 and March 2022. The special prosecution team asserts that the Yoon couple used their influence to secure the nomination of former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-seon, who was close to Mr. Myung, in the 2022 parliamentary by-election as payback for the free polling.

Courts have been handing down acquittals in cases involving Mr. Myung’s polling activities. In January of this year, Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 27, presided over by Judge Woo In-seong, acquitted Mrs. Kim on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. The facts in that case were essentially identical to those in the former president’s case.

That court found that “Mr. Myung did not conduct polls exclusively to provide them to the Yoon couple,” and that the polls were part of regular, commercial activities carried out by the Future Korea Institute and distributed to multiple parties. The court concluded that it was difficult to find that the Yoon couple obtained a financial benefit equivalent to the polling costs. It emphasized there was no explicit or implicit contract between the couple and the polling firm and that the surveys resembled routine, business-oriented polling rather than bespoke polls for a specific individual. The court also noted that Mr. Myung had been conducting polls at the institute’s expense before meeting the Yoon couple and that the institute could have benefited from promotional effects. The judges further described Mr. Myung as prone to exaggerating his capabilities and exhibiting somewhat delusional tendencies, making it hard to accept statements that framed the nomination as a gift from the defendant.

The former president’s defense largely repeated the first-instance arguments at the opening hearing. Counsel argued that Mr. Myung conducted polls for his own benefit, that no contractual relationship existed, and that Mr. Myung independently decided whether to publish or distribute poll results. They also stressed that the couple received such services directly on only three occasions.

Mr. Myung was also acquitted in a first-instance ruling in February this year. Changwon District Court’s Criminal Division 4, presided over by Judge Kim In-taek, acquitted both Mr. Myung and former lawmaker Kim in charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

The two were accused of exchanging 80.7 million KRW (approximately $60,525) through accounting officer Kang Hye-kyung between August 2022 and November 2023 in relation to recommending the former lawmaker as a candidate for the parliamentary election.

The court concluded it was difficult to view those funds as payment for political activity. It determined the money was a loan provided as institute operating funds, that it was actually used for operating expenses or personal use, and that promissory notes and some repayments were confirmed. The court said there was insufficient evidence to prove an agreement to exchange the nomination for payment or a conspiracy.

Within the legal community, many see the “acquittal trend” as likely to continue, but they caution that, absent a final ruling from the Supreme Court, outcomes can differ depending on the trial court. Judge Lee Jin-gwan previously found two Chanel bags and one necklace to constitute a single offense in a graft case involving a Unification Church-related solicitation and convicted the defendant. By contrast, the first-instance panel in Mrs. Kim’s trial treated similar acts as separate and convicted only on some counts.

A former presiding judge turned lawyer said, “Until the Supreme Court settles the matter, rulings in other cases do not directly determine guilt or innocence here,” adding that legal interpretations may vary by court and leaving open the possibility of a guilty verdict. Kwak Jun-ho, lead attorney at Cheong Law Firm, also said, “Legally, maintaining the prior acquittal logic is reasonable,” while noting that Mr. Myung’s behavior has strong characteristics of a political broker, so a conviction that reflects the law’s intent cannot be ruled out.