Supreme Court to rule on Yoon's obstruction charges Thursday, 583 days after Dec. 3 martial law

The Supreme Court will issue its first ruling on former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday — 583 days after the Dec. 3 emergency martial law crisis last year. The decision will be the final word on charges including obstruction of an arrest warrant execution by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and abuse of authority during the martial law declaration process.

According to legal sources, the Supreme Court's Third Division, presided over by Justice Lee Suk-yeon, will hold the final appeal sentencing for Yoon on charges of obstruction of special official duties and abuse of authority at Courtroom No. 1 of the Supreme Court at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Yoon was indicted on charges of mobilizing Presidential Security Service personnel last year to obstruct the CIO's execution of an arrest warrant. He also faces charges of convening only a select group of Cabinet ministers during the martial law declaration to conduct a perfunctory deliberation process, thereby infringing on the deliberation rights of ministers who were not present.

The first-instance court found him guilty of the key charges, including obstruction of the arrest warrant execution, and sentenced him to five years in prison in January. The appeals court, however, found him guilty on both the obstruction and the Cabinet deliberation infringement charges and raised the sentence to seven years.

The appeals court also found Yoon guilty of ordering the distribution of a press guidance document to foreign media stating that he had "no intention of destroying the constitutional order."

That ruling overturned the acquittal handed down at the first trial. The appeals court also found him guilty of drafting a false martial law proclamation after martial law was lifted and subsequently destroying it. Both courts, however, acquitted him of actually using the falsified official document.

Both Yoon's legal team and the special insurrection prosecution team led by Cho Eun-seok appealed the second-instance verdict. The Supreme Court will use Thursday's ruling to make a final determination on guilt and sentencing.

On the same day, the Supreme Court will also issue its final appeal ruling in the morning on Yoon Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church's World Mission Headquarters, and Jeon Seong-bae, known as "Geonjin Beopsa," both of whom were indicted on charges of accepting money from the Unification Church in connection with alleged lobbying involving first lady Kim Keon Hee. Also scheduled for the same day is the first-instance sentencing for Park Jong-jun, former head of the Presidential Security Service, who was indicted in connection with the obstruction of Yoon's arrest warrant execution.

The Seoul Central District Court is set to hold closing arguments the following day, Friday, in the case of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, who was indicted on allegations of collusion between religion and the state.