A Former President Has Time Tacked Onto His Prison Term
Newser • • world
Key Points:
- South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol had his prison sentence increased from five to seven years by the Seoul High Court for attempting to block his arrest during a brief 2024 martial law declaration.
- The court found Yoon guilty of deploying presidential security forces improperly, falsifying documents, and bypassing legal procedures for declaring martial law.
- Prosecutors sought a 10-year sentence, accusing Yoon of abusing state power and harming constitutional order, while his lawyers plan to appeal to the Supreme Court, claiming political decisions were wrongly criminalized.
- Yoon, impeached last year and jailed since July, faces eight trials and previously received a life sentence for allegedly orchestrating an insurrection; he denies all charges.
- A judge criticized Yoon's actions as incompatible with the rule of law, highlighting the severity of his offenses against South Korea's legal and constitutional framework.
