South Korea Court Cuts Ex-Justice Minister’s Sentence to 9 Years

A South Korean appeals court has slashed the martial law sentence of former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae from 25 years to nine years in prison, the Korea Times reported, after judges threw out several of the charges against him.

The Seoul High Court delivered the ruling on Wednesday (Oct 21), still finding that Park played a key part in the insurrection linked to then-president Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law on Dec 3, 2024.

Martial Law Sentence Cut by 16 Years

The lower court had convicted Park on all counts and handed him 25 years. On appeal, Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul High Court, presided over by Judge Yoon Sung-sik, upheld only two of his actions on the night martial law was declared, according to Financial News.

The first was ordering staff responsible for imposing exit bans to report to work and stand by. The second was instructing corrections officials to check how much space was available in correctional facilities in the greater Seoul area.

The court acquitted him of the remaining insurrection charges and of abuse-of-authority charges. Those related to his instructions to immigration and corrections officials and to a senior prosecutor, including a review of available cells at the Seoul Detention Center and an order to send prosecutors to the martial law joint investigation headquarters.

Why the Court Reduced the Term

Judges found that Park knew the martial law decree was unconstitutional and illegal, yet did not clearly voice opposition and instead gave officials instructions to carry it out. The court said he “can only be assessed as actively participating in it by ordering necessary measures”.

In weighing the sentence, however, the panel said it was hard to conclude that Park had conspired with Yoon in advance. It also noted that his orders produced no real consequences, as no one was actually detained or barred from leaving the country.

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk’s team had asked the appeals court to keep the 25-year term handed down at the first trial.

Wider Fallout From the Martial Law Case

Park was tried together with former Minister of Government Legislation Lee Wan-kyu. In Lee’s case, the appeals court overturned a lower-court decision that had dismissed a perjury complaint over his testimony before the National Assembly, ruling it fell within the scope of the special counsel law. His case was sent back to the Seoul Central District Court.

The ruling is the latest in a string of trials of senior officials over the short-lived martial law bid, which plunged South Korea into political crisis. Either side may still take the case to the Supreme Court.

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