A court in Seoul on Thursday sentenced former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection through his declaration of martial law in 2024.
Delivering the verdict at the Seoul Central District Court, presiding judge Ji Gwi-yeon ruled that Yoon deployed troops to the National Assembly in an attempt to silence political opponents and paralyse the legislature.
“The declaration of martial law resulted in enormous social costs, and it is difficult to find any indication that the defendant has expressed remorse,” the judge said while pronouncing the life sentence.
Martial Law Crisis
Yoon, 65, shocked the nation in December 2024 when he declared martial law during a televised address, claiming drastic action was necessary to eliminate “anti-state forces” in the legislature.
Lawmakers defied the order, rushing to the assembly building and barricading entrances with furniture to prevent armed troops from entering. The military rule order was lifted six hours later following an emergency parliamentary vote.
The move triggered nationwide protests, market instability and alarm among allies including the United States.
Charges and Sentencing
Yoon was later impeached, arrested and charged with multiple offences, including insurrection and obstruction of justice. Under South Korean law, insurrection carries penalties of either life imprisonment or death.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, but South Korea has maintained an unofficial moratorium on executions since 1997, making life imprisonment the most severe practical punishment.
Former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun received a 30-year sentence for his role in the crisis. Yoon had already been sentenced to five years on lesser charges in separate proceedings.
Thousands of supporters gathered outside the courthouse ahead of the ruling, waving placards and calling for charges to be dropped.
Heavy police presence surrounded the court complex to prevent unrest.
South Korea has long been regarded as a stable democracy, but the martial law attempt revived memories of the military coups that shook the country between 1960 and 1980.
Yoon has denied wrongdoing, insisting he acted to safeguard constitutional order against what he described as an opposition-led “legislative dictatorship.”
His wife, Kim Keon Hee, was sentenced earlier in January to 20 months in prison on separate bribery charges.
The ruling marks a dramatic fall for the former leader and underscores South Korea’s strict constitutional stance against attempts to subvert democratic governance.
