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Seoul High Court assigns appeals by Yoon, others over martial law rulings

Published: 23 Feb. 2026, 17:29

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a sentencing hearing on charges of leading an insurrection related to his martial law declaration in 2024 at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 19. [NEWS1]

The Seoul High Court on Monday launched special appellate panels to handle appeals in major cases stemming from the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration, including those involving former President Yoon Suk Yeol and other senior officials convicted in the first trial.

The court assigned insurrection-related appeals to Criminal Division 1 and Criminal Division 12.

Criminal Division 1 has been assigned Yoon's appeal of the ruling that found him guilty of interfering with investigators attempting to execute a court-issued detention warrant during the probe into the former president's role in the martial law declaration, for which the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to five years in prison on Jan. 16.

The Jan. 16 ruling marked Yoon’s first sentence tied to the martial law declaration, which led to his impeachment on Dec. 14, 2024, and the Constitutional Court’s approval on April 4, 2025.

In a separate case from the obstruction ruling, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon to life in prison in a ruling on Thursday after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection tied to the martial law declaration.

Criminal Division 12, meanwhile, was assigned former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's appeal of a ruling that found him guilty of playing a key role in the martial law declaration, for which the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to 23 years in prison on Jan. 21.

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo sits in the courtroom as he attends a sentencing hearing on charges of engaging in key insurrection duties at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 21. [NEWS1]

Lawmakers created the dedicated panels under the Special Act on Criminal Procedures for Insurrection, Foreign Aggression and Rebellion Crimes. The law limits the panels to cases involving insurrection, foreign aggression or related crimes that carry national significance.

The panels will also handle appeals in cases involving other former Cabinet members who were found guilty in related trials. Those include former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, who face charges of engaging in key insurrection duties.

The court also sentenced Kim to 30 years in prison on Thursday after convicting him of playing a central role in planning and executing the martial law declaration, including mobilizing military forces to support the measure.

As for Lee, the court sentenced him to seven years in prison on Feb. 12 after convicting him of ordering power and water supplies to be cut off during the martial law declaration.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]