Anchor: A Seoul court has handed down a five-year prison term for former President Yoon Suk Yeol upon convicting him of obstruction of justice and other charges. This ruling focuses on Yoon’s actions last January, when he mobilized security personnel to obstruct his own arrest. The verdict, broadcast live on television, is the first in multiple cases that Yoon is embroiled in.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more. 

Report: The Seoul Central District Court issued the ruling, televised live on Friday. 

It was the first verdict in eight criminal trials currently in progress for the ousted president. 

Yoon, wearing a tag with his inmate number, “3617,” above the left breast pocket of his dark navy suit, stood up as the court announced the five-year prison sentence.

Yoon’s legal representatives later told reporters that they plan to file an appeal.

Yoon was found guilty of ordering the Presidential Security Service to block the execution of a warrant to arrest him on January 3 of last year and of failing to consult his full Cabinet before declaring martial law on December 3, 2024.

The former president was also convicted of drafting, and then later destroying, a falsified proclamation after the martial law decree was lifted.

However, the court did not find Yoon guilty of instructing the presidential office’s foreign press spokesperson to distribute a media notice with the false claim that he had no intention of destroying the constitutional order.

In announcing its ruling, the court said Yoon’s crimes were very serious and yet he has refused to admit wrongdoing and has consistently given hard-to-accept excuses. 

The court said stern penalties are necessary to uphold the rule of law, which was undermined by Yoon’s crimes. 

Friday’s trial was the third for a former president to be aired live. 

The other two were for former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak. 
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.