Special counsel appeals in ex-President Yoon's obstruction of justice case
Published: 30 Apr. 2026, 18:31
![Former President Yoon Suk Yeol is seen in this undated file photo. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/30/8a675ca2-6727-45d6-ad99-b95d20c6ee59.jpg)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol is seen in this undated file photo. [YONHAP]
A special counsel team said Thursday it has filed an appeal over a lower court ruling on former President Yoon Suk Yeol's case on obstruction of justice and other charges stemming from his failed 2024 martial law bid.
On Wednesday, the Seoul High Court raised Yoon's sentence from five years to seven years in prison in the case, while upholding his acquittal on acting on a falsified official document.
Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team, which sought a 10-year sentence for Yoon, said in a press notice that it would dispute the acquittal at the top court, exercising its right to appeal under Korea’s judicial system, which allows prosecutors to appeal both verdicts and sentences, giving them the same rights as defendants to challenge court decisions they believe are flawed.
The appeals court found Yoon guilty of creating and then discarding a false proclamation after his martial law decree was lifted, but it acquitted him of acting on the document, as it was not made public.
Yoon's lawyers have also vowed to appeal the ruling, calling it "unacceptable."
The former president has been standing a total of eight trials following his failed attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in February on charges of leading an insurrection through his martial law declaration.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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