Ex-justice minister, special counsel appeal martial law-related ruling

Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae and special counsel Cho Eun-suk have appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision that reduced Park's prison sentence from 25 years to nine years, following his conviction in connection with then-President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration, according to judicial sources.

Park and Cho's legal team lodged their appeals with the Seoul High Court on Tuesday. Park was charged with playing a crucial role in Yoon's martial law imposition on December 3, 2024, and participating in an alleged insurrection. The charges included ordering the deployment of prosecutors for a martial law-related organization, placing immigration officials on standby to handle travel bans, and instructing the Korea Correctional Service to evaluate the capacity of detention centers.

Initially, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Park to a 25-year prison term after finding him guilty of all charges brought by Cho. However, the Seoul High Court recently reduced his sentence to nine years, clearing him of the immigration-related allegations.