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Seoul High Court Sentences Yoon Suk-yeol to Seven Years for Obstructing Martial-Law Investigation

The court said using state power to block a lawful warrant defies the rule of law.

Overview

  • Yoon Suk-yeol received a seven-year prison term from the Seoul High Court on Wednesday in his appeal over obstruction charges.
  • Judges said efforts to stop officers from executing a warrant violated rule-of-law principles and carried heavy presidential responsibility.
  • The court found he used the Presidential Security Service in January last year to block an arrest by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office and curtailed some ministers’ deliberation during the December 2024 declaration.
  • The appeal panel recognized offenses that the first trial had cleared and issued a longer term than the earlier five-year sentence.
  • His lawyers said they will appeal to the Supreme Court, and a separate case left him with a first-instance life sentence in February for leading an insurrection tied to the declaration.