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South Korean Special Counsel Indicts Ex-President Yoon Over Free Opinion Polls

The special counsel values 58 election-period surveys at 270 million won under the Political Funds Act.

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors in Seoul, South Korea, July 9, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/Pool/File Photo

Overview

  • Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team charged Yoon Suk Yeol with accepting poll results provided at no cost in violation of political finance rules.
  • Myung Tae-kyun, described by investigators as a power broker, was also indicted on charges of supplying the survey results to Yoon.
  • Investigators say the polls were delivered between June 2021 and March 2022, the run-up to Yoon's 2022 presidential victory.
  • Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, was previously indicted on the same charge and is scheduled to receive a court verdict on January 28.
  • Allegations that the polling was tied to help with June 2022 by-election nominations were not included in the charges and may be referred to police if unresolved by the end of the team's term Sunday.