NEW YORK — A South Korean businessman accused of being an Iraqi agent and trying to influence the United Nations’ oil-for-food program was found guilty yesterday of conspiracy.

Tongsun Park, 71, arrested last year, was the first to go on trial in the criminal case stemming from a scandal involving the United Nations, Iraq, and a group of alleged conspirators who included Saddam Hussein.

U.S. District Judge Denny Chin set sentencing for October 26. Park could face more than a dozen years in prison for his role in the decade-long conspiracy.

The Manhattan jury deliberated less than a day before returning its verdict.

Park’s lawyer, Michael Kim, said Park was “very disappointed” but hopeful that Judge Chin might reverse the jury verdict and conclude during post-trial motions that there was not enough evidence to convict him.

Park spoke to his lawyers for several minutes after the verdict before he was taken away by U.S. marshals.

On Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Miller urged jurors to convict Park, saying he arranged to receive millions of dollars in cash to influence top U.N. officials, including a former secretary-general, Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

“We’re not talking about France or Mexico here,” Mr. Miller said.”Saddam Hussein’s government was an international pariah.”

An independent panel concluded last year that Iraq had a scheme to bribe Mr. Boutros-Ghali but found no evidence the secretary-general was aware of the plot or received the money.

Mr. Miller said Park provided the conspiracy with high-level connections within the United Nations while Samir Vincent, an Iraqi-American, kept in touch with Iraqi leaders, all in a bid to get the sanctions lifted and receive a big payday from the Iraqi government.The conspiracy allegedly stretched from 1992 until 2002. Mr. Kim had argued that Park was not an Iraqi agent and did not think he was violating American laws by acting as a middleman in an effort to help the oil-for-food program supply food and medicine to suffering Iraqis.

The program from 1996 to 2003 permitted the Iraqi government to sell oil primarily to buy humanitarian goods. It was designed to help Iraqis cope with U.N. sanctions, but authorities said the program was corrupted because Saddam was allowed to choose the buyers of Iraqi oil and the sellers of humanitarian goods.

The trial included no references to Park’s role in the 1970s in the influence-peddling scandal known as Korea-gate.

In that scandal, Park was accused of helping intelligence services in his native South Korea funnel bribes and favors to American politicians. He was granted immunity in exchange for his cooperation with prosecutors.