(LEAD) Supreme Court upholds 7-yr prison term for ex-President Yoon for obstruction of justice

Lead

South Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a seven-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, convicting him of obstruction of justice in connection with his failed martial law declaration in December 2024. The ruling, delivered live on national television, marks the first finalized conviction for the jailed former president, who is facing multiple trials stemming from the martial law episode.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting from Deutsche Welle and France 24 — English described the decision as upholding a sentence for crimes tied to the botched martial law declaration and its aftermath, while Yonhap News — English emphasized that the conviction was finalized and that Yoon's license to practice law has been revoked. TASS — English noted that the Supreme Court upheld a previous instance court's verdict, describing it as the first Supreme Court ruling against Yoon.

The sentence stems from a case in which Yoon was accused of ordering presidential security agents to block investigators from detaining him in January 2025. According to Yonhap, a lower court first sentenced Yoon to five years in prison in January, and an appeals court later raised that to seven years after adding a guilty verdict over a misleading press release. The Supreme Court dismissed all appeals, with a presiding judge saying the lower court's judgment contained no errors.

The Supreme Court allowed a live broadcast of the ruling despite objections from Yoon's legal team, who argued it could cause "irreparable harm" to his right to a fair trial. The broadcast went ahead, and Yoon watched it on a cellphone while attending his insurrection appellate trial at the Seoul High Court, according to Yonhap.

Key Claims

• The Supreme Court upheld a seven-year prison term for Yoon for obstructing justice by blocking investigators from detaining him, as reported by Deutsche Welle, France 24, TASS, and Yonhap.
• Yoon's license to practice law has been revoked after the conviction was finalized, according to Yonhap, citing legal sources and the Korean Bar Association.
• Yoon has decided not to file a constitutional appeal against the conviction, his lawyers said, as reported by Yonhap. They cited his opposition to challenging finalized court rulings under the Constitution.
• The Supreme Court ruling was the first finalized court decision for Yoon, who has been standing multiple trials following the martial law declaration, Yonhap reported.
• A lower court sentenced Yoon to life in prison in February for leading an insurrection through the emergency decree; he has appealed that ruling, as reported by Yonhap and TASS.