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Yoon’s seven-year sentence stands in South Korea martial law case

South Korea’s Supreme Court finalized a seven-year prison term for former President Yoon Suk Yeol in the first martial-law-related case to reach the top court. The ruling leaves Yoon detained as separate insurrection and drone-related appeals continue.

Published about 2 hours ago
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South Korea's top court upholds 7-year sentence for ex-president Yoon

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South Korea top court upholds Yoon's 7-year sentence

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S. Korea Supreme Court upholds 7-yr prison term for ex-President Yoon for obstruction of justice

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South Korea's Supreme Court upholds prison sentence for Yoon in first martial law case

Yoon’s seven-year sentence stands in South Korea martial law case
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A final ruling in the first top-court test

South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday finalized a seven-year prison term for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, rejecting appeals in the first of his martial-law-related criminal cases to reach the country’s highest court.yna The ruling leaves intact lower-court findings that Yoon obstructed efforts to arrest him, abused power and violated Cabinet members’ rights to deliberate before the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration.koreaherald +1

The court said the lower judgment contained no legal error, while Yoon’s lawyers expressed “deep regret” and said they would pursue constitutional remedies.dw +1 Yoon did not appear for the ruling; Yonhap reported that he watched the broadcast on a phone while attending a separate appellate hearing in Seoul.yna

The case centered on procedure and obstruction

The charges arose from the frantic hours before and after Yoon’s failed attempt to suspend civilian rule. Courts found that he convened only a select group of ministers before announcing martial law, then later used presidential security personnel to block investigators trying to execute an arrest warrant at the presidential residence.france24 +1

An appeals court raised Yoon’s sentence from five years to seven in April after adding findings tied to misleading statements and broader violations of Cabinet deliberation rights.france24 +1 Prosecutors had sought a 10-year term, but the Supreme Court dismissed appeals from both sides and made the seven-year sentence final.koreaherald +1

More trials still surround the former president

The ruling does not end Yoon’s legal exposure. He remains detained while appealing a separate life sentence for insurrection over the martial law order, and he is also appealing a 30-year sentence in a case alleging he ordered drone flights toward North Korea to help justify emergency rule at home.dw +1

The 2024 decree lasted only hours after lawmakers forced their way through a blockade at the National Assembly and voted to lift it, triggering a political crisis that ended with Yoon’s removal from office in April 2025 and Lee Jae Myung’s election two months later.france24 +1 The Supreme Court’s decision gives prosecutors their first final judgment from the martial law prosecutions, while leaving the most severe allegations against Yoon to play out in other courts.yna