Prosecutors appeal ex-president's sentence in martial law-related case

By Park Yong-jun Posted : January 22, 2026, 16:57 Updated : January 22, 2026, 17:37
Yonhap file photo
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Jan. 16, 2026. Yonhap
SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - Former President Yoon Suk Yeol's case over charges of alleged obstruction of law enforcement will go to an appeals court after Yoon and prosecutors decided to appeal the first ruling.

Independent prosecutors said they reached the decision on Thursday, days after Yoon immediately appealed last week's verdict.

In the first ruling delivered last Friday, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for obstructing investigators and other officials who attempted to detain him over his botched declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, one of several charges related to the short-lived, late-night debacle.

Prosecutors had earlier sought 10 years in prison, but the court handed down a sentence roughly half of that, although it found him guilty on most charges.

With both sides presenting differing arguments, the case will be the first to proceed to an appeals court among Yoon's eight different cases related to the debacle.

Meanwhile, a verdict on the main charges of insurrection and abuse of power is expected to be handed down next month.

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