[Breaking] Appeals court raises ex-President Yoon’s obstruction of just...

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Appeals court raises ex-President Yoon’s obstruction of justice sentence to 7 years

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By

Jung Min-ho

Published

Apr 29, 2026 4:15 pm

KST

Updated

Apr 29, 2026 4:36 pm

KST

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol closes his eyes during his trial held at Seoul Central District Court, Sept. 26, 2025. Courtesy of Seoul Central District Court

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conviction over his 2024 martial law declaration has been reaffirmed by the Seoul High Court, which raised his prison term from five to seven years on charges including obstruction of justice and abuses of emergency power.

The court found that Yoon violated the Constitution and relevant laws by excluding seven Cabinet ministers from deliberations on declaring emergency martial law, saying individual ministers’ rights and status are protected by law and cannot be overridden even in the name of “political discretion.”

It also confirmed that Yoon ordered the after-the-fact drafting and destruction of a backdated martial law proclamation, directed aides to conceal encrypted phone records related to the insurrection probe, and used the Presidential Security Service to block investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High‑Ranking Officials as they tried to execute lawful arrest warrants issued after impeachment.

Judges further ruled that Yoon abused his authority by instructing staff to brief foreign media with false claims about the scope and impact of a martial law declaration, calling the presentation a misleading public communication that harmed Korea’s credibility and the public’s right to know.