A South Korean appeals court on Wednesday handed suspended prison terms to former top security officials over the forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019, according to local media reports.

The Seoul High Court sentenced former National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong and former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Suh Hoon to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The ruling imposed more severe penalties on Chung and Suh, who were previously handed 10-month suspended impositions of sentences (선고유예) by the Seoul Central District Court in Feb. 2025on charges of abuse of