Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol found guilty of insurrection, sentenced to life imprisonment
South Korean prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached and removed from office over his declaration of the short-lived martial law on December 3, 2024.
South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been found guilty of masterminding an insurrection over his short-lived imposition of martial law in 2024. The Seoul Central District Court, which found Yeol guilty on Thursday, sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for the disgraced ex-president, who was impeached and removed from office over his declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024.
Seoul Central District Court judge Jee Kui-youn, who delivered the verdict, said Yoon was guilty of leading an insurrection and committed acts to subvert the country’s constitutional order.
Several former military and police officials involved in enforcing Yoon’s martial law decree, including ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun have also been sentenced for their roles.
Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law declaration
Yoon, a staunch conservative, has defended his martial law decree as necessary to stop liberals, whom he described as “anti-state” forces, from obstructing his agenda with their legislative majority.
The decree lasted about six hours before being lifted after a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through a military blockade and unanimously voted to lift the measure.
Dramatic visuals from the chaotic night showed lawmakers scaling the perimeter walls and fences of the National Assembly building in Seoul to block the martial law decree.
Despite the blockade by the military, 190 lawmakers successfully entered the chamber and voted 190-0 to lift the decree.
Suspended, impeached and sentenced
Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, after being impeached by lawmakers and was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has been under arrest since last July while facing multiple criminal trials, with the rebellion charge carrying the most severe punishment.
Last month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for resisting arrest, fabricating the martial law proclamation and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before declaring the measure.
The Seoul Central Court has also convicted two of Yoon’s Cabinet members in other cases. That includes Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who received a 23-year prison sentence for attempting to legitimize the decree by forcing it through a Cabinet Council meeting, falsifying records and lying under oath.
South Korea's history of military rule
For many South Koreans, Yoon’s attempt to declare martial law brought back memories of the military rule in the country following the 1950-53 Korean War.
Between 1961 and 1987, South Korea was ruled by military-backed leaders until massive public protests, known as the June Democratic Struggle, forced the government to hold direct presidential elections.