Yoon Suk Yeol martial law appeal verdict scheduled for Jan. 26

An appellate court in South Korea will issue its ruling early next year in the insurrection trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, addressing charges linked to his brief declaration of martial law.

The Seoul High Court panel announced on Thursday that the formal sentencing decision will be handed down on Jan. 26.

Yoon previously received a life prison sentence from a district court in February. That court determined he was guilty of spearheading an insurrection through his short-lived martial law proclamation on Dec. 3, 2024, an action Yoon had justified at the time as a measure to eliminate what he termed anti-state elements.

During the appellate proceedings, the prosecution team led by special counsel Cho Eun-suk renewed its demand that Yoon face capital punishment. Prosecutors have also urged harsh penalties for other senior officials involved in the decree, requesting a life sentence for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and a 30-year term of imprisonment for Noh Sang-won, who formerly headed the Defense Intelligence Command.

Delivering his concluding remarks to the court on Thursday, Yoon maintained his innocence regarding the rebellion charges. The former leader argued that issuing the martial law decree could not legally be defined as an insurrection, asserting that the step was meant as a cautionary measure against the opposition party over its perceived overreach of parliamentary authority.

The January appellate decision will mark the next major legal chapter in the fallout from the unprecedented December 2024 crisis, which abruptly curtailed Yoon's presidency and triggered widespread institutional investigations.