On Thursday, January 22, 2026, South Korea's special counsel filed an appeal against the first-instance verdict in the obstruction of arrest case involving former president Yoon Suk-yeol.
Led by independent counsel Cho Eun-suk, the team challenged both the court's decision to acquit Yoon on charges related to ordering false press statements and the five-year prison sentence imposed last Friday by the Seoul Central District Court.
- January 16, 2026: Court handed down a five-year sentence for obstruction charges.
- January 19, 2026: Yoon's legal team filed its own appeal, citing procedural irregularities.
- February 19, 2026: First-instance sentencing for insurrection charges is scheduled.
The obstruction charges stem from accusations that in January 2025, while in office, Yoon instructed the presidential security service to block investigators from executing a detention warrant at the official residence. His emergency martial law declaration on December 3, 2024, was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.
Yoon was indicted under custody in January 2025 as a suspected ringleader of an insurrection, marking the first time a sitting president in the Republic of Korea has faced arrest and indictment.
After the Constitutional Court upheld a motion to impeach him in April 2025, Yoon was officially removed from office. The special counsel has also sought the death penalty on the insurrection charges.
With both sides appealing, the legal battle is set to intensify in the coming weeks. Observers will watch closely as the February hearing approaches, weighing its implications for rule of law and political accountability in the Republic of Korea.
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S. Korea special counsel appeals verdict in Yoon arrest case
cgtn.com
