South Korean Court Sentences Former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 7 Years on Appeal in Obstruction Case
Seoul High Court increases prison term from five years, overturns key acquittals on abuse of power and false information charges
SEOUL — April 29, 2026 — A South Korean appeals court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to seven years in prison on charges including obstruction of justice and abuse of power stemming from his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024, the Seoul High Court ruled on Wednesday, April 29.
The ruling overturns a lower court’s January verdict that had sentenced Yoon to five years in prison . The appellate court found the former president guilty of additional charges, including mobilizing the Presidential Security Service like “a private army” to block investigators from detaining him and distributing false information to foreign media .
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“In trying to stop authorities from executing an arrest warrant by use of force, Yoon committed acts that are unacceptable in a society of law and order,” the presiding judge, Yoon Sung-sik, said during the live-televised hearing .
Abuse of Cabinet Authority and Document Fabrication
The appeals court significantly expanded Yoon’s culpability regarding the procedural violations surrounding the martial law declaration. While a lower court had convicted Yoon of calling only select members to a Cabinet meeting, the appellate court ruled that he violated the deliberation rights of all nine absent ministers .
“As sitting president at the time of the crimes, Yoon bore a heavy responsibility to uphold the Constitution and to protect and advance the people’s freedoms and rights,” the court stated, “but instead he betrayed that duty and deepened social unrest through this case” .
The court also upheld and added to findings of document tampering. It confirmed that Yoon ordered the creation of a backdated martial law proclamation to conceal procedural flaws and later ordered the destruction of records. The judges also convicted him of ordering the deletion of encrypted phone records, a charge related to obstructing the investigation .
Conviction for Distributing False Information
In a significant reversal of the lower court’s ruling, the Seoul High Court found Yoon guilty of abuse of power for instructing his presidential secretary to provide false information to foreign media. The court found that Yoon attempted to shape international narratives by denying that lawmakers had been barred from entering the National Assembly during the martial law period .
“He not only concealed the wrongdoing committed in the process of declaring emergency martial law, but also conveyed incorrect information about the legality of the declaration to foreign media, which had a negative impact on Korea’s international credibility,” the judge said .
The Arrest Standoff
Central to the obstruction charges was Yoon’s conduct in January 2025, following his impeachment by the National Assembly. The court found he abused his authority by ordering the Presidential Security Service to form human shields and bus blockades to prevent the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) from executing a lawful arrest warrant .
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Judge Yoon Sung-sik noted that while Yoon may not have issued specific tactical orders, his position at the head of the security apparatus effectively instigated the illegal blockade, treating state security personnel as a “private army” .
Legal Reactions and Related Cases
Yoon’s legal team immediately announced it would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, calling the decision “unacceptable” and “incomprehensible” . The prosecution’s special counsel, Cho Eun-suk, had sought a 10-year prison term for Yoon in this case .
Wednesday’s sentence comes on top of a life sentence Yoon received in February 2026 for leading an insurrection. He is currently in jail pending the conclusion of his appeals and several other ongoing trials .
The ruling on Wednesday followed a separate appeals court decision on Tuesday, April 28, which increased the prison sentence of Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, from 20 months to four years on corruption charges, including stock price manipulation and accepting luxury gifts .
SOURCES
Xinhua: Sentence for former S. Korean president Yoon increased to 7 years
Yonhap News Agency: Appeals court increases ex-President Yoon’s sentence to 7 yrs
The Korea Times: Appeals court raises Yoon’s term to 7 years
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