South Korea Jails Former President Yoon Over Martial Law Fallout

A South Korean court has sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison, marking a dramatic fall for a leader whose brief declaration of martial law last year shook one of Asia’s most stable democracies.

At Seoul’s Central District Court on Friday, Yoon was found guilty of multiple charges stemming from his attempt to impose martial law in December 2024. Those charges included obstructing authorities from executing an arrest warrant related to the declaration, fabricating official documents, and failing to follow the legal procedures required to lawfully impose martial law.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun said Yoon had fundamentally failed in his constitutional duties.

“Despite having a duty, above all others, to uphold the Constitution and observe the rule of law as president, the defendant instead displayed an attitude that disregarded the … Constitution,” Baek said. “The defendant’s culpability is extremely grave,” he added.

The judge said Yoon has seven days to file an appeal.

Outside the court, Yoon’s legal team immediately signalled it would challenge the ruling.

“We express regret that the decision was made in a politicised manner,” said Yoo Jung-hwa, one of Yoon’s lawyers.

The verdict is the first in a series of criminal cases linked to Yoon’s failed martial law bid, which lasted only around six hours but triggered mass protests and a constitutional crisis. The move stunned a country long seen as a model of democratic resilience in the region.

Yoon was previously impeached, arrested, and formally removed from office following the episode. Despite that, he has remained defiant, insisting he broke no laws and arguing that the declaration was within his presidential powers. He has said the move was intended to warn against what he described as obstruction of government operations by opposition parties.

Supporters of the former president gathered outside the courthouse on Friday, chanting in protest of the verdict.

The insurrection charge carries the possibility of a death sentence. Earlier this week, special prosecutors in that case demanded capital punishment for Yoon, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.

Yonhap also reported that the five-year prison term handed down on Friday was half of what prosecutors had sought in this case. Even so, analysts say the guilty verdict is likely to weigh heavily on the upcoming insurrection ruling.