Seoul: South Korea's appeals court on Tuesday increased the prison sentence of former interior minister Lee Sang-min from seven to nine years for his involvement in the 2024 martial law crisis, ruling that the original term was too lenient. The decree by former President Yoon Suk Yeol briefly suspended civilian rule and plunged the country into chaos, but lasted only about six hours as opposition lawmakers swiftly voted to overturn it.
Appeals court decision
A lower court had sentenced Lee in February to seven years in prison. Both Lee and the prosecution appealed the term to the Seoul High Court. The appeals court upheld the lower court's overall findings but accepted prosecutors' argument that the original sentence was too lenient. The justices extended Lee's penalty to nine years on charges including carrying out key insurrection-related duties, perjury, and abuse of power.
Lee's role in the crisis
Lee was accused of carrying out orders from Yoon after the martial law declaration, including blocking access to key institutions such as the National Assembly and cutting electricity and water supplies to media outlets. Prosecutors also alleged that Lee instructed a former fire commissioner to cooperate with these measures. Additionally, Lee faced perjury charges for testimony during Yoon's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in February last year, where he denied receiving orders to cut utilities.
Court's reasoning
The appeals court stated that Lee's actions to cut electricity and water to specific media outlets not only physically prevented the publication of critical reports but also posed a serious threat to the lives and safety of citizens working there. His actions caused considerable mental distress to numerous firefighters who became implicated in Yoon's insurrectionary acts. The court also noted that Lee was well aware at the time that the martial law declaration was unlawful. Furthermore, the court emphasized that Lee's perjury charges were serious because he actively gave false testimony to conceal his role in the martial-law related offenses during Yoon's impeachment trial.
