Appeals court raises Yoon’s term to 7 years over obstruction of duty charges
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to seven years in prison on Wednesday after an appellate court found him guilty of abusing his presidential authority, obstructing official duties and fabricating documents over his handling of the 2024 martial law declaration and the subsequent investigation into his actions. The Seoul High Court increased his prison term to seven years, up from the five years handed down in the first trial. This case focused on the allegations that Yoon blocked his own arrest, overstepped his authority and tampered with documents. It is separate from the insurrection case that led to a life sentence on Feb. 19. “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, but instead he betrayed that duty and deepened social unrest through this case,” Judge Yoon Seong-sik said. The appeals court found that he infringed on the deliberation rights of nine Cabinet members who were left out of the Cabinet meeting that preceded the martial law decree
