A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison yesterday, after finding him guilty of masterminding an insurrection linked to his December 2024 attempt to impose martial law.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty in the case, closely watched in a deeply divided country. It is the most consequential of a series of trials for the ousted leader, whose bid triggered a national political crisis and tested democratic resilience.
Yoon conspired with his then-defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, to subvert the constitutional order by deploying troops to parliament, intending to paralyse its functions, Judge Jee Kui-youn told a packed courtroom.
“It is the court’s judgment that sending armed troops to parliament ... and using equipment to try to make arrests all constitute acts of insurrection,” he said, speaking for the panel of three judges.
Yoon led a number of officials and troops in criminal activities on December 3, 2024, and “because of the martial law declaration, an enormous social cost was incurred,” Jee said as he handed down the life term for the former leader.
Wearing a dark navy suit without a tie, Yoon, 65, stood ashen-faced as the sentences were read out for him and seven other defendants, including Kim, the former defence minister, who received 30 years, and former top police officials.
Yoon’s defence team will discuss with him whether to appeal the ruling, with one of his lawyers, Yoon Kab-keun, saying it completely ignored the key legal principle of basing findings on evidence.
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