Appeals court sentences PPP's Kweon to two years in prison, orders 100 million won forfeiture
Published: 28 Apr. 2026, 12:58
![Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party leaves the Seoul Central District Court after attending an arraignment hearing for his arrest on Sept. 16, 2025. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/04/28/ea2bb1d9-4415-41ac-b6f1-d291b498db34.jpg)
Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party leaves the Seoul Central District Court after attending an arraignment hearing for his arrest on Sept. 16, 2025. [YONHAP]
An appeals court on Tuesday sentenced Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to a two-year prison term on charges of accepting illegal political funds from the Unification Church.
The Seoul High Court handed down the sentence after finding him guilty of accepting 100 million won ($68,000) in January 2022 from a church official seeking favors from the former administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The sentence matched the ruling of a lower court in January.
“This case is far more serious than typical violations of the Political Funds Act, making severe punishment inevitable,” a judge at the sentencing hearing said. “Even though the charges were corroborated by evidence, he denied the crime from the investigation stage.”
The court also ordered Kweon to forfeit 100 million won, in line with the lower court ruling.
Kweon, a five-term lawmaker once known as one of Yoon's close confidants, had argued he met the church official for a meal but did not receive money.
His lawyers had also claimed the case did not fall under the mandate of special counsel Min Joong-ki's team, which indicted him while investigating various corruption allegations against former first lady Kim Keon Hee.
The court dismissed the claims.
![People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong sits in the courtroom after attending the first hearing in a case over allegations of receiving illegal political funds from the Unification Church at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Nov. 3, 2025. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/04/28/e742b0fb-28ff-4260-89bd-af36f57eaaa8.jpg)
People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong sits in the courtroom after attending the first hearing in a case over allegations of receiving illegal political funds from the Unification Church at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Nov. 3, 2025. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Kweon served as the PPP's floor leader until June 2025. He was placed under arrest in September of last year and indicted the following month.
Min's team had requested a four-year prison term and a forfeit of 100 million won for Kweon.
Lawmakers are stripped of their parliamentary seats if they are sentenced to a fine of 1 million won or receive heavy punishment for violating the Political Funds Act.
Should the Supreme Court uphold his sentence following a widely anticipated appeal from Kweon, the lawmaker would then lose his seat in the National Assembly.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)