Overview
- Seoul Central District Court issued a five-year prison term for Yoon Suk Yeol, convicting him of obstructing his detention, fabricating official documents, deleting secure phone records and bypassing required procedures for declaring martial law.
- Presiding Judge Baek Dae-hyun said Yoon effectively “privatized” state institutions through the Presidential Security Service, noted his lack of remorse and recorded partial acquittals on two cabinet-rights counts and press statements.
- The court found the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials acted within its authority, deeming the arrest warrant and residence search lawful.
- Yoon’s lawyer Yoo Jung-hwa said the defense will appeal and criticized the ruling as politically driven.
- A separate trial on an insurrection charge is scheduled for a Feb. 19 verdict, where special prosecutors have requested the death penalty, and Yoon still faces multiple other cases.