SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Two former aides to impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye were sentenced to imprisonment Tuesday for a so-called artist blacklist in which liberal artists were banned from the mainstream media.

A Seoul appellate court sentenced Kim Ki-choon, former chief of staff to the ousted president, to four years in jail for abuse of power. It was a heavier punishment than three years in prison levied against Kim in the first trial.

Cho Yun-sun, former culture minister and senior presidential secretary for political affairs, was put under custody in the courtroom as the appellate court sentenced her to two years in jail.

In the first trial, Cho was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year reprieve.

The appellate court confirmed the impeached president being involved in the artist blacklist as Park comprehensively approved the listing of artists who were banned from the mainstream media.

While Park in her office, the government made a blacklist of left-leaning entertainers and culture figures critical of the government such as actors, filmmakers, singers, novelists and TV personalities.