A court in South Korea on Thursday sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection through his 2024 martial law declaration.
Delivering judgment at the Seoul Central District Court, presiding judge Ji Gwi-yeon ruled that Yoon had deployed troops to the National Assembly in a bid to suppress political opposition and paralyse legislative activities.
“The court finds that the intention was to paralyse the assembly for a considerable period,” the judge said, adding that the martial law declaration imposed significant social costs and that the former leader had shown little remorse.
Yoon, 65, declared martial law in a televised address in December 2024, citing the need to eliminate what he described as “anti-state forces” within the National Assembly. The order, which suspended civilian governance, was lifted six hours later after lawmakers convened an emergency session to overturn it.
The move triggered nationwide protests, rattled financial markets and drew concern from key allies, including the United States. Yoon was subsequently impeached, arrested and charged with offences ranging from insurrection to obstruction of justice.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, the harshest punishment available under South Korean law for insurrection. However, with the country maintaining an unofficial moratorium on executions since 1997, a death sentence would effectively amount to life imprisonment.
Former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun was also sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the crisis.
Security was heightened around the courthouse as thousands of Yoon’s supporters gathered outside ahead of the verdict. Police erected barricades using buses and deployed large numbers of officers to prevent unrest.
