Seoul, Feb 25 (NationPress) A team of special counsel announced on Wednesday that it has lodged an appeal against a recent life sentence imposed on former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol following his conviction for insurrection.

The appeal, spearheaded by Cho Eun-suk, was filed citing "factual inaccuracies, legal misinterpretations, and unjust sentencing."

Last week, a court in Seoul sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment for orchestrating an insurrection by declaring martial law on December 3, 2024, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

The court determined that Yoon aimed to destabilize the National Assembly by deploying troops to the area following his declaration, affirming that this act constituted insurrection as defined by the constitution.

Nonetheless, the court clarified that Yoon made the decision to declare martial law on December 1, 2024, dismissing the special counsel's assertion that he had been planning the operation for over a year.

The special counsel also appealed the court's decisions regarding other defendants sentenced alongside Yoon, which included former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho, and former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Kim Bong-sik.

The former defence minister received a 30-year prison sentence, while Cho was sentenced to 12 years and Kim Bong-sik to 10 years for their involvement in the martial law initiative.

Additionally, Yoon Suk Yeol's appellate trial concerning charges of obstruction of justice and others is set to commence next week, as legal sources indicated on Wednesday.

The initial hearing is scheduled for 2 pm next Wednesday at the Seoul High Court, overseen by Criminal Division 1, which has been designated to handle cases related to charges of insurrection, treason, and rebellion.

Previously, a lower court sentenced Yoon to five years in prison for obstructing investigators' attempts to detain him last year following his brief declaration of martial law in December 2024.

He was also found guilty of infringing upon the rights of Cabinet members who were not summoned to discuss his martial law strategy and for drafting and subsequently destroying a revised proclamation after the decree's withdrawal.

The former president faces a total of eight trials related to his martial law actions, allegations of corruption against his wife, and the 2023 death of a Marine.

In one of these proceedings, he was sentenced to life imprisonment last week for leading an insurrection through his martial law declaration.