A court in Seoul has sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison for his failed attempt to impose martial law in 2024. The court found Yoon guilty of leading an insurrection through the martial law bid but opted for a sentence less severe than the death penalty recommended by special prosecutors. The ruling highlighted that the martial law order constituted an insurrection as Yoon aimed to paralyze the National Assembly by deploying troops to the parliamentary compound.
The court emphasized that the crux of the matter revolved around Yoon’s decision to dispatch troops to the National Assembly. Yoon, who was indicted in January last year, faced charges of orchestrating an insurrection by briefly implementing martial law on December 3, 2024, which lasted six hours. During the trial’s final hearing, the special counsel’s team urged the death penalty for Yoon, citing his declaration of martial law as a means to consolidate power and control over the judiciary and legislature.
Yoon, while maintaining his innocence, argued in his final statement that exercising a president’s constitutional state emergency right should not be equated with an insurrection. He contended that his actions were aimed at upholding freedom, sovereignty, and the constitutional order, rather than suppressing citizens under a military dictatorship. The former president’s trial, which was broadcast live on national television, drew significant attention and scrutiny.
