A South Korean court has sentenced the former president Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment with labour over his failed martial law declaration in December 2024, finding him guilty of leading an insurrection and making him the first elected head of state in the country’s democratic era to receive the maximum custodial sentence.
The Seoul central district court found that Yoon’s declaration of martial law on 3 December 2024 constituted insurrection, carried out with the intent to disrupt the constitutional order.
Judge Jee Kui-youn said the purpose was “to send troops to the national assembly to blockade the assembly hall and arrest key figures, including the assembly speaker and party leaders, thereby preventing lawmakers from gathering to deliberate or vote”.
0:41 South Korea's president declares martial law – video
In sentencing Yoon on Thursday, the court pointed to his lack of apology throughout the proceedings, his unjustified refusal to attend hearings, and the massive social costs his actions inflicted on South Korean society.
The court said the martial law greatly damaged the political neutrality of the military and police and caused South Korea’s political standing and credibility in the international community to decline, leaving society “politically divided and experiencing extreme confrontation”.
The court opted for life imprisonment over the death penalty, noting that while the crime was grave, Yoon’s planning did not appear meticulous, he had attempted to limit the use of physical force, and most of his plans ultimately failed.
In a historical digression, the judge traced the history of insurrection law and cited the 1649 execution of England’s Charles I, who led troops into parliament, to establish that even heads of state can commit insurrection by attacking the legislature.
View image in fullscreen Crowds outside the court await the verdict. Photograph: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters
The verdict was broadcast live on national television, capturing Yoon briefly smiling on arrival and later displaying no visible reaction as the sentence was delivered.
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