The Seoul Appeals Court sentenced former President Yoon Suk-yeol to 7 years in prison for obstructing justice. He was found guilty of abusing his authority by ordering presidential security personnel to block his own arrest, a behavior the court described as disgraceful, likening the use of civil servants as personal "bodyguards."
South Korea’s appellate court increased Yoon Suk-yeol’s prison term from 5 to 7 years for obstructing justice, following a lower court’s ruling in January. The case originated when Yoon was found to have directed presidential security officers to interfere with prosecutors executing a valid arrest warrant against him.
The Seoul court judge stated in the ruling that the defendant’s actions were "extremely disgraceful," noting that Yoon not only obstructed the lawful execution of an arrest warrant but also issued unlawful orders to security officials, who are national civil servants, effectively using them as "personal bodyguards" to protect his own interests.
Additionally, the appeals court overturned parts of the lower court’s decision, convicting Yoon of abuse of power for ordering the release of documents defending the declaration of martial law to foreign media. It also upheld his guilt for barring cabinet members from attending meetings to plan the martial law announcement.
Currently, Yoon Suk-yeol is serving a life sentence in a separate, more serious case of "treason" related to his failure to properly enforce martial law in December 2024. He had declared the suspension of civilian government citing threats from North Korea, but the martial law lasted only six hours before parliament voted it down, leading to his impeachment and prosecution.
Yoon also faces another major charge of "aiding the enemy" for sending military drones into North Korean airspace in early 2024. A special prosecutor is seeking a maximum 30-year prison term, believing Yoon intended to provoke North Korea into retaliation to justify declaring martial law.
Meanwhile, Kim Keon-hee, Yoon’s wife and former First Lady, is also serving prison time. The appeals court increased her sentence from 20 months to 4 years for corruption, reversing an earlier acquittal on stock manipulation charges.
Both Yoon Suk-yeol’s and Kim Keon-hee’s legal teams have confirmed to AFP that they will appeal the rulings to the Supreme Court.