A Seoul court has found former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol guilty of leading an insurrection tied to his brief declaration of martial law on 3 December 2024. The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon’s actions — which included deploying troops to the National Assembly in an attempt to block lawmakers and consolidate power — amounted to an unconstitutional bid to paralyse the legislature.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, but the court instead sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment, the maximum punishment aside from execution under South Korean law.
Yoon, impeached and removed from office in 2025 over the martial law decision, has denied wrongdoing and characterised the charges as politically motivated. The verdict marks a historic moment for South Korea’s democracy, making him the first democratically elected leader in the country’s history to be convicted of such a charge.
The convictions of several former senior officials involved in the martial law episode underscore the judiciary’s broad interpretation of the episode as a serious constitutional breach. Appeals are expected. (NewsWire)
