A South Korean court on Monday sentenced ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to two years in prison for illegally receiving manipulated opinion polls free of charge from a political broker in exchange for political favors that may have helped him secure his party's nomination ahead of the 2022 presidential election.

The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of violating the country's political funding law. Political broker Myung Tae-kyun was also sentenced to 18 months in prison on the same charge.

Wife of South Korea's ex-President Yoon sentenced to 7 years for corruption

According to the court, Myung conducted 14 opinion polls using manipulated data for Yoon between June and October 2021 without payment. In return, Yoon allegedly used his influence to help former lawmaker Kim Young-sun become the conservative People Power Party's candidate in the 2022 legislative by-election.

The case is one of seven criminal trials involving the former conservative president, who was impeached after briefly imposing martial law in December 2024, triggering South Korea's biggest political crisis in decades.

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld a seven-year prison sentence against Yoon in another case, the first of his convictions to be reviewed by the country's highest court.

Yoon has appealed several convictions, including a February life sentence on rebellion charges linked to his failed power grab. His lawyers also said they would appeal Monday's verdict, arguing it was based on insufficient evidence.

Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, ended within hours after lawmakers forced their way into the National Assembly despite a security blockade and voted to revoke the order. He was later impeached by parliament and formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court. After being released from custody earlier this year, Yoon was re-arrested in July and remains in detention while facing multiple criminal trials.