At the closing hearing of the appeal at the Seoul High Court on Oct. 16, the special counsel asked for 30 years for former President Yoon Suk-yeol in the ‘Pyongyang drone’ case, the same as the first-instance sentence. Prosecutors argued the offense is more serious than insurrection because it raised the risk of military clashes.
According to Kyunghyang Shinmun, Financial News and YTN, the First Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (presiding judge Yoon Sung-sik) held the closing hearing on Oct. 16 for Yoon and others charged with general treason and obstruction of rights through abuse of authority. The special counsel sought 30 years for Yoon and also 30 years for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.
광고 문의 · 300×250As its reason, the special counsel said the matter went beyond a limited border incident and could have led to full-scale war. Kyunghyang reported that prosecutors argued the gravity of the crime exceeds that of the insurrection case. This is the prosecution’s argument, which the court has not yet ruled on, and it is not a judicial finding.
Background and the first-instance ruling
The core of the indictment is that, starting in October 2024, drones were flown into Pyongyang several times to provoke a North Korean military response, which was to serve as a pretext for the Dec. 3 martial law declaration. Kyunghyang reported that the first-instance court found Yoon planned the operation with Kim and others and that it harmed Korea’s military interests, and so convicted him of general treason.
The first-instance court reportedly sentenced Yoon and Kim to 30 years each last November, Yeo In-hyung, the former Defense Counterintelligence Command chief, to 15 years, and Kim Yong-dae, the former Drone Operations Command chief, to three years suspended for five years. The special counsel is said to have sought 25 years for Kim Yong-hyun at first instance, but the court imposed a heavier 30. Herald Business reported that the special counsel appealed in June.
On appeal, prosecutors sought 20 years for Yeo and five years for Kim Yong-dae. They argued Yeo attended every meeting as a core planner yet received a reduced sentence for supposedly passive involvement, and that Kim Yong-dae, who denies the charges, organized subordinates to conceal and fabricate evidence, making a suspended sentence unjustified.
What comes next
With the hearing closed, the next step is the appellate verdict. The reports we reviewed did not state a sentencing date, and we could not confirm the content of Yoon’s final statement or defense arguments. Earlier coverage said Yoon’s side sharply criticized the first-instance ruling, but its detailed reasoning is unconfirmed here.
Any party dissatisfied with the appellate ruling may appeal to the Supreme Court. Yoon is also a defendant in other proceedings, including a separate insurrection trial, so the outcome here is likely to serve as an important reference point in the wider judicial process. We will follow up once a verdict date is announced.
