South Korea ex-president Yoon appeals insurrection verdict

South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol has filed an appeal against an insurrection conviction stemming from his 2024 martial law declaration, his lawyers confirmed.



The Seoul Central District Court last week found Yoon guilty of leading an insurrection designed to "paralyse" the National Assembly, sentencing him to life in prison.



Yoon initially branded the verdict "difficult to accept" but did not immediately indicate whether he would appeal.



His legal team said Tuesday they would challenge the verdict.



"We believe we have a responsibility to clearly place on record the problems with this ruling -- not only in the court's records, but also before the judgment of history in the future," Yoon's legal team said.



They said they took issue with the prosecution's "excessive indictment" and would take action against "the contradictory judgement rendered ... based on that premise, and the political context surrounding it".



Last week, presiding judge Ji Gwi-yeon said Yoon sent troops to the National Assembly building in an effort to silence political opponents who had frustrated his attempts to govern.