Why was former President Yoon Suk Yeol acquitted over Lee Jong-sup’s ambassador appointment to Australia?

The court said Yoon’s instructions to appoint Lee could not be definitively seen as having the intent to interfere with the investigation. It said the move could also be viewed as a head of state exercising personnel authority, rather than a rash replacement of the previous ambassador.

What did special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon’s team accuse Yoon Suk Yeol of in the Australia envoy case?

The team accused Yoon of ordering Lee Jong-sup’s appointment in November 2023 to help him evade a probe into the alleged cover-up of a Marine’s death. It also argued that Yoon was trying to keep the investigation from reaching himself.

What other cases is former President Yoon Suk Yeol facing?

He is standing multiple trials tied to his failed 2024 martial law bid, his wife’s alleged corruption, and the Marine death case. His main insurrection trial is being heard at an appellate court after a lower court sentenced him to life in prison in February.

Court acquits ex-President Yoon in power abuse case over envoy appointment

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Summary

A Seoul court on Friday acquitted former President Yoon Suk Yeol in a power-abuse case over the appointment of former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup as ambassador to Australia in 2023. The Seoul Central District Court rejected special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon’s team’s argument that Yoon tried to help Lee evade a Marine death investigation and shield himself. The court also acquitted five other former officials in the case.

Key Facts

The special counsel team had sought a five-year prison term for Yoon.
Lee Jong-sup left for Australia in March 2024 but returned days later because of the controversy.
The court said Yoon’s instructions could be seen as a head of state exercising authority over personnel decisions, not as proof of intent to interfere with the investigation.
The court also acquitted former National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae among five other former officials.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 11, 2026 9:29 am KST
Updated Sep 11, 2026 4:05 pm KST

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup are seen at the presidential office in central Seoul, Sept. 12, 2023. Yonhap

A Seoul court on Friday acquitted former President Yoon Suk Yeol of charges of helping a former defense minister evade a criminal investigation by naming him ambassador to Australia in 2023.

The Seoul Central District Court delivered the verdict after finding Yoon not guilty of multiple charges brought by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team, including aiding a criminal's flight and abuse of power.

The team had sought a five-year prison term for Yoon, accusing him of ordering the appointment of former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup as ambassador to Australia in November 2023 to help him evade an investigation into the alleged cover-up of a Marine's death earlier that year.

The team argued that Yoon tried to send the former defense minister abroad to prevent the investigation from reaching Yoon himself as well. Lee left for Australia in March 2024 but returned only days after due to the controversy.

The court ruled that Yoon's instructions to appoint Lee could not be definitively seen as having intent to interfere with the investigation.

It said there is room to see the orders as a head of state exercising his authority over personnel decisions and could not be seen as "rashly" replacing the preceding ambassador with the former minister.

The court also acquitted five other former officials indicted in the case, including former National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae.

Yoon has been standing multiple trials in connection with his failed bid to impose martial law in 2024, his wife's alleged corruption and the case of the Marine's death.

The main trial on charges that he led an insurrection through his martial law bid is under way at an appellate court after a lower court sentenced him to life in prison in February.

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