SEOUL – The sentence for former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was increased to seven years on Wednesday on appeal for obstruction of arrest, according to the rule of the Seoul High Court.

The court overturned the lower court's ruling, lengthening Yoon's prison term from five to seven years.

The team of Cho Eun-suk, an independent counsel who led investigations into Yoon's insurrection and other charges, had sought a 10-year prison sentence on appeal after demanding the same sentence in the first instance.

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The court explained that blocking the first attempt to arrest Yoon constituted abuse of power and special obstruction of official duties, saying that blocking the second arrest attempt also constituted abuse of power.

It recognized that the execution of the first arrest warrant for Yoon was lawful, while search warrant for the president's residence was lawfully executed.

Yoon was charged with abusing the presidential security service to hinder the anti-corruption agency from executing its arrest warrant in January 2025.

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The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was once thwarted in its attempt to arrest Yoon as the presidential security service formed human shields and bus blockades to prevent investigators from entering the presidential residence.

The emergency martial law was declared by Yoon on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.

He was indicted under detention in January 2025 as a suspected ringleader of the insurrection, becoming the first sitting president to be arrested and indicted.