Yoon Sentenced to 7 Years in Appeal Over Obstructing Arrest

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was put on trial on charges including obstructing the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) from executing an arrest warrant and infringing on Cabinet members' right to deliberate, was sentenced to seven years in prison on appeal. The sentence was two years longer than the five-year term handed down in the first trial.
The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1, presided over by Judge Yoon Sung-sik, ruled on the 29th that Yoon was guilty of special obstruction of official duties, abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights, and other charges.
The key point in the ruling was that several issues previously found not guilty in the first trial were overturned on appeal. The court first said there were clear procedural flaws in the notification process for Cabinet members when martial law was declared. The first trial had acquitted Yoon on the grounds that there was no rule requiring all members to attend, but the appeals court focused on whether attendance was realistically possible. At the time, former Land Minister Park Sang-woo and Ahn Duk-geun, then minister of trade, industry and energy, were notified only 30 to 50 minutes before the meeting began. Considering the travel time from their residences to Yongsan, the court said, "Notifying them at a time when attendance was realistically impossible amounted to a violation of their right to deliberate." The court said the declaration of martial law, a grave matter, was not something that could be handled in secrecy with only some ministers present.
The charge related to directing press guidance distributed to foreign media was also overturned to guilty. Yoon had instructed the drafting of press guidance that said there was no intent to undermine the constitutional order, but the court found this to be an abuse of authority that misled the public's right to know. It said he exaggerated the situation or described it in absolute terms in a way that distorted the facts and gave foreign media a false impression. The court criticized him, saying, "In an effort to conceal his own wrongdoing, he negatively affected the country's credibility and the public's right to know."
Other guilty findings from the lower court, including the infringement of seven ministers' right to deliberate, the post hoc drafting and destruction of the declaration, and obstruction of the arrest warrant execution, were upheld. In particular, regarding the obstruction of the warrant execution, the court rebuked Yoon, saying, "Using physical force to block the execution of a warrant in order to avoid legal responsibility cannot be permitted under the principle of the rule of law." It also added that, despite failing in his duty as president to uphold the Constitution, he continued to evade responsibility even through the appeal trial, and that the circumstances after the offense were unfavorable.
As the sentence was increased, Yoon's side immediately said it would file an appeal.
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter