A South Korean court has found former President Yoon Seok-yeol guilty of imposing martial law in December 2024.
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Former South Korean President Yun Seok-Yeol was found guilty of masterminding a riot for imposing a brief period of martial law in 2024 and sentenced to life in prison.
Presiding Judge Ji Kwi-young told the court on Thursday, “Issuance of martial law has brought enormous social costs, and it is difficult to find any evidence that the defendant has expressed remorse for it.”
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The judge stated, “Yun Seok-yeol is guilty of inciting a riot.”
“Mr. Yoon is sentenced to life imprisonment.”
The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon was the ringleader of the Dec. 3, 2024, riot in a case in which prosecutors had sought the death penalty against the disgraced former president, who was impeached and removed from office after martial law was declared.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that the court found that the core fact in Yoon’s martial law lawsuit was that he sent troops to the National Assembly in December 2024.
The court also ruled that Yoon intended to prevent and paralyze the proper functioning of the National Assembly for an extended period, but rejected the special prosecutor’s argument that Yoon was planning to establish a long-term dictatorship, Yonhap News reported.
The 65-year-old Yun maintained his innocence throughout his court appearance, insisting that as president he had the authority to declare martial law and that his decision was aimed at preventing opposition parties from interfering with government activities.
likely to appeal
The Seoul Central District Court was surrounded by heavy security, with police buses setting up a tight cordon around the courtroom and officers blocking surrounding roads to guard against possible violence.
Prosecutors have accused Yoon of abusing his power by ordering the military to enter Congress and remove political opponents during the brief period of martial law.
Yoon remains in custody at the Seoul Detention Center and is expected to remain there regardless of Thursday’s decision.
Following the court’s ruling, Yoon’s lawyers argued that the ruling only affirmed a “pre-written script,” without going into details, and that it was not supported by evidence in the lawsuit.
The lawyers added that they plan to discuss whether Yoon will appeal.
“The verdict truly brings to an end, at least pending appeal, this period of post-martial law political turmoil that sparked months of street protests and led to his impeachment by Congress,” Al Jazeera’s Jack Burton said, reporting from Seoul.
“Yun was the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested, the second to be successfully impeached, and the third to be tried for rebellion,” it added.
Judicial guidelines stipulate that the first instance trial must be concluded within six months, and the entire appeal process must be concluded within two years. In reality, politically sensitive events often extend far beyond these timelines.
Yun’s legal problems go beyond the current legal proceedings. In January, another court found him guilty of interfering with authorities attempting to arrest him pursuant to martial law and sentenced him to five years in prison. He appealed the decision.
His attempt to impose martial law lasted only about six hours before Congress rejected it amid mass protests, but the move upset South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key ally of the United States. The episode also raised questions about the resilience of a country that has been considered one of the most stable democracies in the region.
President Lee Jae-myung, who won a snap general election in June after Yoon’s dismissal, praised the public’s response.
“It was possible because it was the Republic of Korea,” Lee wrote to X, citing the country’s official name. He added that the Korean people will serve as a model for human history.
Lee attached his post to the report, noting that some scholars have proposed nominating South Korean citizens who resisted martial law without violence for the Nobel Peace Prize.
