Yoon trial-live broadcast

SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- Next week's sentencing hearing for former President Yoon Suk Yeol over election law violation charges will be broadcast live, court officials said Friday, a high-stakes ruling that could force the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to return nearly US$30 million in reimbursed election expenses.

The Seoul High Court decided to allow broadcasters to air the sentencing scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.

Yoon was sentenced by a district court in July to a 18-month prison term, suspended for three years, for making false statements during the campaign ahead of the March 2022 presidential election that he ultimately won as the PPP's candidate.

Yoon was charged with falsely claiming during a December 2021 press event that he had never introduced a lawyer to a former tax official, who is the older brother of former senior prosecutor Yoon Dae-jin, a close associate of Yoon from his time in the prosecution service.

He also faces charges of lying in a January 2022 interview by claiming a party official had introduced him to shaman Jeon Seong-bae, while denying that he and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, had met Jeon together.

July's sentence was heavy enough to nullify Yoon's election and force the PPP to return the reimbursed election expenses. Should the sentence be upheld by the appeals court next week and finalized through a potential appeal to the Supreme Court, the PPP will be required to pay back 39.7 billion won ($29.7 million) to the state.

Under the election law, political parties receive government reimbursement for campaign spending if their candidate wins at least 15 percent of the vote. However, parties must return all reimbursed funds if the candidate is handed down a finalized prison sentence or fine of at least 1 million won for election law violations.

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