A local court on Thursday acquitted eight members of a now-defunct minor opposition party on charges of staging an unauthorized rally.

Upholding a lower court ruling, an appeals department of the Seoul Central District Court found the eight officials of the Unified Progressive Party not guilty of holding an illegal rally.

The court said the rally "did not pose a direct threat to the public stability and order."

The defendants were indicted in March for holding a protest rally for about three hours on Feb. 17, 2014, criticizing a district court's conviction of former lawmaker Lee Seok-ki over plotting to overthrow the government in the event of a war with the North.

The Constitutional Court ordered in December 2014 to dissolve the UPP for its pro-North Korean platform and activities.

In last year's landmark decision, the constitutional court concluded that the UPP's principles and activities were in violation of the "basic democratic order" stipulated by the Constitution of South Korea, which remains technically at war with North Korea.

The ruling was made more than a year after the Ministry of Justice filed a petition with the court following the arrest of a number of UPP members on rebellion conspiracy charges.

The Supreme Court in January acquitted the 53-year-old Lee of charges that he plotted the rebellion but found him guilty of instigating the members to stage a rebellion. (Yonhap)