Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
South Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday, 9 July 2026, upheld a seven-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, bringing a definitive end to a key trial stemming from his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024. The ruling, delivered by the Supreme Court's Third Division, dismissed all appeals filed by the former president's legal team, marking the top court's first judgment on Yoon since his impeachment and ouster.
The seven-year sentence was originally handed down by the Seoul High Court on 29 April 2026, which increased the term from five years to seven after finding Yoon guilty of additional charges related to obstructing justice. The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision, stating that the appellate ruling contained "no errors, such as exceeding the bounds of the principle of free evaluation of evidence" or misapplying legal principles. The hearing was broadcast live despite objections from Yoon's defence team, as final appeal rulings in South Korea do not require the defendant's presence.
Yoon was convicted on multiple counts, including obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and falsifying public documents. The core of the case centred on his alleged attempt to block investigators from executing an arrest warrant in January 2025. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was thwarted in its attempt to detain Yoon when the presidential security service reportedly formed human shields and bus blockades to prevent investigators from entering the presidential residence. Yoon was also accused of abusing his power by selectively convening only nine cabinet members before declaring martial law, effectively preventing a full cabinet deliberation.
Additional charges included creating and later destroying a fabricated declaration document to make the martial law declaration appear procedurally sound after it had been lifted. He was also found guilty of ordering the dissemination of a press guidance containing false claims and restricting access to a former military commander's phone records.
The emergency martial law was declared by Yoon on the night of 3 December 2024 but was revoked hours later by the National Assembly. He was indicted under detention in January 2025 as a suspected ringleader of insurrection, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested and indicted. Immediately after the Supreme Court delivered its ruling, Yoon's lawyers vowed to challenge its constitutionality through a constitutional complaint, a move that could prolong the legal battle despite the finality of the criminal verdict.
The Supreme Court's decision comes as Yoon faces a total of eight trials in connection with the martial law declaration. The main trial on charges of leading an insurrection is ongoing at an appellate court after a lower court sentenced him to life in prison in February 2026. Since July 2025, Yoon has been in custody, and the seven-year sentence for obstruction of justice will run concurrently with any other sentences he may receive.
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