Why did the Seoul High Court reduce Park’s prison sentence for obstructing Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest?

The appellate court noted that Park did not actively participate in physical confrontations with investigators. It also viewed his Jan. 7, 2025 resignation as reflecting a sense of accountability for the confusion and conflict that resulted.

When did Park’s three-year sentence for obstructing investigators become final, and why?

The sentence became final after the Wednesday appeal deadline passed without either Park or prosecutors filing an appeal to the Supreme Court. Both sides had seven days to challenge the Seoul High Court’s ruling.

What prison terms were finalized for Lee Kwang-woo and Kim Shin in the Yoon arrest-warrant obstruction case?

Lee, the former chief of the PSS bodyguard division, received a two-year prison term. Kim, a former PSS official responsible for security for the president’s family, received a one-year term suspended for two years.

3-year prison term finalized for ex-PSS chief for obstructing Yoon's arrest

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Summary

A three-year prison term was finalized Thursday for former Presidential Security Service chief Park for obstructing investigators’ attempt to detain former President Yoon Suk Yeol at the presidential residence in January 2025. Neither Park nor prosecutors appealed the Seoul High Court’s ruling by Wednesday’s deadline. The court had reduced Park’s four-year lower-court sentence, citing his lack of active participation in physical confrontations and his resignation. Prison terms for two other former PSS officials were also finalized, while former deputy chief Kim Seong-hoon appealed his sentence.

Key Facts

The Seoul High Court handed down its ruling last week, and both Park and prosecutors had seven days to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Park resigned on Jan. 7, 2025, which the appellate court said reflected a sense of accountability for the resulting confusion and conflict.
Former PSS bodyguard division chief Lee Kwang-woo received a finalized two-year prison term.
Former PSS official Kim Shin, who was in charge of security for the president’s family, received a finalized one-year prison term suspended for two years.
Former PSS deputy chief Kim Seong-hoon appealed his five-year sentence to the Supreme Court.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 5, 2026 3:55 pm KST
Updated Nov 5, 2026 4:00 pm KST

Former chief of the Presidential Security Service Park Jong-joon attends his sentence hearing at Seoul Central District Court, May 21. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-bin

A three-year prison term was finalized Thursday for a former chief of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) for blocking investigators from executing a warrant to detain former President Yoon Suk Yeol last year, according to legal sources.

Last week, the Seoul High Court handed down the verdict. Both Park and prosecutors had seven days to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, but neither side filed an appeal by the Wednesday deadline, resulting in the finalization of the sentence, the sources said.

Park and other former PSS officials were indicted for obstructing investigators' attempts to execute an arrest warrant for Yoon at the presidential residence in January 2025 over his imposition of martial law.

A lower court had sentenced Park to four years in prison in July. The appellate court reduced his term to three years last week, noting he did not actively participate in physical confrontations with investigators and that his resignation on Jan. 7, 2025, reflected a sense of accountability for the resulting confusion and conflict.

Also finalized were a two-year prison term for Lee Kwang-woo, former chief of the PSS' bodyguard division, and a one-year prison term, suspended for two years, for Kim Shin, a former PSS official in charge of security for the president's family, the sources said.

Kim Seong-hoon, former deputy chief of the PSS, has appealed his five-year sentence to the Supreme Court.

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