Special counsel appeals Yoon obstruction ruling to Supreme Court

South Korea's special counsel filed an appeal Thursday to the Supreme Court after an appeals court raised former President Yoon Suk Yeol's obstruction of justice sentence to seven years but upheld his acquittal on a related charge.

The case stems from Yoon's failed martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, which has generated eight separate trials and already produced a life sentence on insurrection charges handed down in February.

The Seoul High Court on Wednesday raised Yoon's sentence from five to seven years on obstruction of justice charges, falling short of the 10-year term sought by Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk's team, according to The Korea Times.

The court also upheld Yoon's acquittal on a charge of exercising a false official document. The appeals court found the charge could not stand because the document was never made public — even though Yoon created and later destroyed a false proclamation after his martial law decree was reversed.

The special counsel's office announced Thursday it would appeal the acquittal on the document charge to the Supreme Court, disputing the lower court's reasoning.

Yoon's legal team said it would also contest the ruling. His lawyers called the judgment "unacceptable," The Korea Times reported.

Yoon is currently standing eight separate trials related to his Dec. 3, 2024, martial law attempt. A Seoul court sentenced him to life imprisonment in February on insurrection charges connected to the same incident.

The competing appeals leave the Supreme Court to decide both the length of Yoon's obstruction sentence and whether the false document acquittal can survive final review, as the former president continues to contest charges across eight separate trials.