Overview
- Yoon Suk Yeol, convicted of obstructing his own arrest, saw his sentence increased to seven years on Wednesday after judges found he misused the presidential security service and expanded abuse‑of‑power findings.
- Former first lady Kim Keon Hee received a four‑year sentence on Tuesday after the appeals court overturned her acquittal for stock manipulation and ruled she took luxury gifts from Unification Church figures expecting favors.
- Yoon’s insurrection case entered appeals on Monday with a first preliminary hearing, and he remains in custody as he challenges a lower court’s life sentence for leading an insurrection through the Dec. 3, 2024 martial law decree.
- The seven‑year decision was the first from a new High Court division created to handle insurrection‑related cases, and the televised ruling highlighted the courts’ effort to make these proceedings public.
- A separate special counsel team led by Kwon Chang‑young summoned Yoon for questioning on Thursday in a parallel probe into unresolved suspicions, including whether he prepared a second martial law attempt.