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Former President Yoon Seok-yeol was found guilty of obstruction of justice and other crimes related to the declaration of martial law in 2024.
Published January 16, 2026
A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Seok-yeol to five years in prison after finding him guilty of charges stemming from the declaration of martial law in December 2024, a live broadcast of the ruling showed.
Yun was found guilty on Friday of obstructing authorities from executing an arrest warrant related to the declaration of martial law, falsifying official documents, and failing to follow legal procedures necessary to impose martial law.
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The ruling is the first in connection with a series of criminal charges Yun faces over his failure to declare martial law in December 2024.
Al Jazeera’s Jack Burton reported from the South Korean capital Seoul that Yoon’s supporters gathered outside the courtroom on Friday, chanting to express their displeasure with the verdict after he was found guilty on all charges.
“This is not a good sign,” Barton said, explaining that the former president still faces the most serious charge of sedition.
“These charges have no real connection to the main case. It’s an ongoing sedition trial,” he said.
“So he was found guilty on all of these charges, which again affects the main trial.” [for insurrection]. We expect the verdict to be handed down in February,” he added.
Yun was previously impeached, arrested, and removed from office after briefly imposing martial law in 2024, sparking massive public protests calling for his removal from office.
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