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Court sentences ex-South Korean president to five years in prison for obstructing arrest

Yoon Suk-yeol is facing a total of eight trials, four of them related to the imposition of martial law

Yoon Suk-yeol Jeon Heon-Kyun - Pool/ Getty Images

Yoon Suk-yeol

© Jeon Heon-Kyun - Pool/ Getty Images

SEOUL, January 16. /TASS/. A court of first instance sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to five years in prison for obstructing arrest, according to a broadcast of the hearing by Yonhap News TV.

On January 3, 2025, the presidential security service prevented law enforcement agencies from arresting Yoon Suk-yeol at his residence in Seoul. They succeeded only on their second attempt on January 15, 2025. At that time, he was still regarded as the incumbent president, but his powers had been suspended following impeachment by parliament. Prosecutors had sought a 10 year prison sentence. South Korea’s court system for cases of general jurisdiction consists of three tiers, including appellate courts and the Supreme Court.

Yoon Suk-yeol is facing a total of eight trials, four of them related to the imposition of martial law. On January 13, 2026, a special prosecutor’s team requested the death penalty in a separate case involving rebellion against the state. This article of the criminal code envisions only the death penalty or life imprisonment. On December 3, 2024, Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law in violation of the constitution, after which he was removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April.

The case was heard at the Seoul Central District Court. The ruling marks the first verdict against Yoon Suk-yeol at the first instance level. Prosecutors brought seven charges, including obstruction of officials in the performance of their duties, abuse of power, creation of illegal documents using his official position, and violations of laws on presidential security and presidential archives.

The court found that Yoon Suk-yeol violated the rights of seven cabinet members by failing to invite them to a meeting on December 3, 2024 to discuss the imposition of martial law. He was also found guilty of preparing a revised draft declaration on martial law. The court said Yoon Suk-yeol attempted to destroy call log records on secure telephone servers. It ruled that the country’s anti corruption agency had the authority to investigate allegations of rebellion so the arrest warrant and search of his residence were lawful.

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