Seoul: A special counsel team on Monday requested a seven-year prison term for former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Cho Tae-yong in his appellate trial on charges of giving false testimony about former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law.

According to Yonhap News Agency, special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team put forward the sentence request at the Seoul High Court. The trial includes additional charges against Cho, such as dereliction of duty for not informing the National Assembly about Yoon's order to arrest politicians, as well as charges of drafting and using false public documents and destroying evidence.

The incidents reportedly occurred around the time of Yoon's martial law declaration on December 3, 2024. Previously, the special counsel team had made a similar sentencing recommendation during Cho's initial trial. However, the lower court sentenced him to 1 1/2 years in prison after convicting him of perjury for denying receipt of martial law-related documents from Yoon at the time of its declaration and for making similar false claims in official NIS documents.

While the lower court acquitted him of other charges, such as dereliction of duty and destruction of evidence, the special counsel team argued once more for a more severe sentence. They claimed that Cho attempted to justify the martial law declaration and sought to hide Yoon's directive to arrest key politicians.