An appeals court acquitted on Thursday two former aides to ex- President Park Geun-hye who were accused of meddling in the activities of a special committee that investigated the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking. 

The Seoul High Court found former chief of staff Lee Byung-kee and former presidential secretary for political affairs, Cho Yoon-sun not guilty on charges of abusing authority, reversing a ruling issued by a lower court in June of last year. 

The lower court had sought a one-year prison sentence suspended for two years for both Lee and Cho. 

Cho was suspected of ordering an official of the oceans ministry to set up a response system to block the special investigation committee from making unfavorable decisions for the government and ruling camp between January and May of 2015.

Lee, together with former senior presidential secretary An Chong-bum, was charged with planning and carrying out ways to stop the committee from investigating ex-President Park's "missing seven hours" amid public controversy over her unaccounted whereabouts during the ferry tragedy.

The appeals court also found former maritime affairs minister Kim Young-suk and former senior presidential secretary An not guilty of interfering in the special committee’s operations.