Former President Yoon Suk-yeol's attorney license has been revoked.
The Korean Bar Association said on the 29th that it revoked the former president's attorney license the day before, after the Supreme Court finalized a seven-year prison sentence for obstructing the arrest by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).
The revocation of Yoon's attorney license follows an order from the Ministry of Justice. Under the Attorney‑at‑Law Act, if a person registered in the roll of attorneys receives a finalized sentence of imprisonment or heavier, it constitutes a disqualification, and the minister of justice must order the Korean Bar Association to cancel the registration.
On the 9th, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court ruling that sentenced the former president to seven years in prison on charges including obstruction of the performance of special official duties and abuse of authority.
The charges include obstructing the CIO's execution of an arrest warrant in January last year; infringing on the deliberation authority by convening only some Cabinet members to maintain only the appearance of a Cabinet meeting before declaring martial law; and, after the lifting of martial law, creating a false proclamation as if martial law had been effected by a document that had been countersigned and then discarding it.
The former president completed the 23rd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute in 1994. After working as a prosecutor, retiring, and then working for about a year at BAE, KIM & LEE LLC in 2002, Yoon returned to the prosecution.