Ex-justice minister appeals 25-yr prison sentence in martial law trial
Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae appears for his trial on charges of playing a key role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid and granting undue favors to Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae has appealed against a court ruling sentencing him to 25 years in prison for playing a key role in an insurrection through his involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid, sources said Saturday.
Park's legal team filed the appeal at the Seoul Central District Court on Friday, four days after the court handed down the punishment for Park, according to the judiciary sources.
The jail term is longer than the 20-year prison term sought by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team, which earlier indicted Park on charges of playing a key role in an insurrection and abusing his power by calling a meeting of senior ministry officials following Yoon's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.
The court convicted Park on both charges, recognizing the special counsel team's argument that Park had called the meeting to review dispatching prosecutors to a martial law-supporting body, check the capacity of correctional facilities, allegedly to hold politicians and key figures expected to be arrested under the martial law, and order ministry officials in charge of imposing travel bans to report for work.
The court, meanwhile, dismissed additional charges against Park for violating the anti-graft law, ruling that it did not fall under the special counsel's investigation mandate.