People Power Party Faces Judicial Risk as Kweon Seong-dong, Oh Se-hoon and a Won 39.7 Billion Refund Threat Mount

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years, on charges of making false statements during his presidential campaign. If the ruling is upheld by the Supreme Court of Korea, the People Power Party will have to return 39.7 billion won in election expenses to the National Election Commission (NEC). Kweon Seong-dong, a five-term lawmaker, was stripped of his seat, and Oh Se-hoon, the Seoul mayor once seen as a potential presidential contender, received a first-instance sentence that would invalidate his election in a case involving violations of the Political Funds Act. The People Power Party's judicial risk is now becoming a reality.
According to political sources on the 27th, Yoon was handed a suspended prison sentence for violating the Public Official Election Act. Under the law, if a sentence of at least 1 million won in fines is finalized, election expenses must be returned. The People Power Party spent 39.7 billion won on the 20th presidential election.
The ruling has left the People Power Party in a difficult position. The party's assets are reportedly worth about 120 billion won. If the first-instance ruling is upheld through the final appeal, it would have to return about 30% of its assets. Some have even suggested that the party may need to sell its headquarters if the sentence is finalized.
Voices of protest poured out from within the People Power Party after the court ruling. Kwon Young-se wrote on social networking service that, "According to the Supreme Court's 2020 ruling on President Lee's case, this case should also naturally end in acquittal," adding, "I hope it will be corrected at the appellate level." In July 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that when Lee, then a candidate for governor of Gyeonggi Province, was asked, "Did you try to have your older brother admitted to a psychiatric hospital?" and replied, "No such thing happened" and "I prevented it," testimony that contradicted that account emerged. The court said, "Political freedom of expression must be protected to the maximum extent," and sent the case back for a new trial on the grounds that, unless there are special circumstances such as an intent to actively make false statements unrelated to the topic or context of the debate, it cannot be punished as a false statement offense.
Kwon also argued that, "If this ruling is upheld, the 2025 Supreme Court remand ruling involving remarks about Kim Moon-ki's golf outing and comments related to Baekhyeon-dong should also resume immediately," adding, "That would be the fair thing to do."
The Democratic Party welcomed the court's ruling and called for the return of election expenses to the state treasury. Han Byung-do, acting party leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party, said on social networking service shortly after the ruling, "This is a judgment that struck down Yoon Suk Yeol's vile lies, which distorted the will of the people and had a major impact on the presidential election result," adding that it was "a deserved reckoning for nominating an unqualified candidate, bringing about a prosecutor-dominated authoritarian regime, and shaking the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea to its core."
[email protected] Lee Hae-ram Reporter