Former President Yoon files appeal against insurrection trial verdict

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Published: 24 Feb. 2026, 10:48

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at his trial on charges of leading an insurrection at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Dec. 29, 2025. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT]

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was given a life imprisonment sentence after being found guilty of leading an insurrection following the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration, has appealed the first court ruling on Tuesday.

Yoon’s legal team said that it had filed a notice of appeal against the verdict.

“We submitted the appeal today in the case concerning the charge of leading an insurrection,” the lawyers said in a statement. “We will not remain silent about the special counsel’s excessive indictment, the contradictory reasoning in the first trial conducted on that premise and the political backdrop surrounding the case.

“We believe we have a responsibility to clearly document the problems in this judgment not only in the court record but also in the record of history,” the statement continued. “Under that responsibility, we intend to demonstrate the errors in fact-finding and misapplication of law contained in the first instance ruling.”

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 KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]