A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection through his 2024 martial law declaration.
Yoon, 65, abruptly imposed martial law in December 2024, claiming it was needed to eliminate “anti-state forces” in the National Assembly. He was later impeached, arrested, and charged with insurrection and obstruction of justice.
Presiding judge Ji Gwi-yeon said Yoon deployed troops to block lawmakers who opposed him.
“The court finds that the intention was to paralyse the assembly for a considerable period,” Ji said.
“The declaration of martial law resulted in enormous social costs, and it is difficult to find any indication that the defendant has expressed remorse for that. We sentence Yoon to life imprisonment.”
Former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun received 30 years for his role. Prosecutors had urged the death penalty, but South Korea’s unofficial moratorium on capital punishment makes life imprisonment effectively the harshest sentence.
Yoon’s supporters gathered outside the courthouse, holding placards and chanting slogans. Police formed barricades to prevent unrest.
Yoon has denied wrongdoing, claiming he acted to “safeguard freedom” against an opposition-led “legislative dictatorship,” while prosecutors described his actions as an “insurrection” driven by a “lust for power aimed at dictatorship and long-term rule.”
The martial law declaration lasted six hours, sparking protests, market panic, and emergency measures by lawmakers. Yoon remains in solitary confinement, already serving a five-year sentence on lesser charges, while other senior officials face prison terms.
His wife, Kim Keon Hee, was sentenced earlier to 20 months over bribery allegations.
