SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) - Former impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's legal team planned to appeal against the first-instance sentence on Yoon's arrest obstruction charges, Yonhap News Agency said Friday.

Yoon's defense team will file an appeal early to mid-next week, as the deadline for the filing is seven days from the date of the ruling.

Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison earlier in the day for mobilizing the presidential security service to hinder the anti-corruption agency from executing its arrest warrant in January 2025.

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (facing camera) is pictured at a court hearing in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 13, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

The team of Cho Eun-suk, an independent counsel who led investigations into Yoon's insurrection and other charges, demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon.

The first-instance sentencing for Yoon's insurrection charges was scheduled for Feb. 19. The special counsel sought a death penalty for Yoon on the charges.

The emergency martial law was declared by Yoon on the night of Dec. 3 in 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.

The constitutional court upheld a motion to impeach Yoon in April 2025, officially removing him from office.

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