Seoul:Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae and special counsel Cho Eun-suk have taken their legal battle to the Supreme Court, contesting a recent appellate court decision that significantly reduced Park's prison sentence from 25 years to nine years. This appeal is related to Park's involvement in the martial law declaration by former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the appeals were filed by Park and Cho's legal team with the Seoul High Court. Park had initially been sentenced to 25 years by the Seoul Central District Court after being found guilty of all charges, which included a key role in the imposition of martial law on December 3, 2024, and participating in an alleged insurrection. The charges also involved ordering potential dispatch of prosecutors to a martial law-related organ, putting Korea Immigration Service officials on standby for travel bans, and directing the Korea Correctional Service to evaluate detention centers' capacities.
The Seoul High Court, however, reduced Park's sentence to nine years last week, acquitting him of charges associated with the Korea Immigration Service and the Korea Correctional Service.