SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's former President Yoon Suk-yeol's legal team filed an appeal Monday against the first-instance verdict on his obstruction of arrest charges, YTN reported.
Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison on his arrest obstruction charges stemming from a martial law attempt, live footage showed last Friday. Under South Korean law, the deadline to file an appeal is one week, meaning the appeal had to be submitted by Jan. 23.
After several of their key arguments were rejected in the ruling, Yoon's side held a press conference earlier on Monday, announcing that an appeal was formally filed with the Seoul Central District Court at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, the special prosecutor, who has yet to receive the full written verdict, said he plans to review the ruling and decide whether to file an appeal. The team of Cho Eun-suk, an independent counsel who led investigations into Yoon's insurrection and other charges, demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon. However, as the prosecution previously expressed regret that the sentence was only half of what was sought, observers widely expect an appeal to be filed.
The first-instance sentencing for Yoon's insurrection charges was scheduled for Feb. 19. The special counsel sought a death penalty for Yoon on the charges.
The emergency martial law was declared by Yoon on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.
The constitutional court upheld a motion to impeach Yoon in April last year, officially removing him from office.
The ousted leader was indicted under detention last January as a suspected ringleader of the insurrection, becoming the first sitting president to be arrested and indicted. ■