Former South Korean President Yoon Sentenced to Life in Prison for Imposing Martial Law
In a dramatic culmination of South Korea's biggest political crisis in decades, former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been sentenced to life in prison for his brief imposition of martial law. The court's decision, handed down by Judge Jee Kui-youn of the Seoul Central District Court, found Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilizing military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize power and arrest politicians.
Yoon's martial law crisis recalled the country's dictatorial past, when emergency decrees were occasionally proclaimed, allowing authorities to station soldiers and vehicles in public places to prevent anti-government demonstrations. The imposition of martial law on December 3, 2024, was the first of its kind in over four decades and aimed to overcome an opposition-controlled legislature.
The decree, which lasted about six hours, suspended political activities, controlled media and publications, and allowed arrests without warrants. It was lifted after a quorum of lawmakers broke through a military blockade and voted to lift the measure. Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, and formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025.
Yoon's lawyers rejected the conviction, accusing the judge of issuing a predetermined verdict. They plan to discuss an appeal with their client and the legal team. Yoon claimed the decree was meant to raise public awareness of the liberals' paralysis of state affairs and that he would respect lawmakers' votes against the measure.
Protesters rallied outside the court, with supporters and critics gathering nearby. While a special prosecutor demanded the death penalty, most analysts expected a life sentence due to the lack of casualties. South Korea has not executed a death row inmate since 1997, and the country is widely seen as having a de facto moratorium on capital punishment.
The court also convicted and sentenced several former military and police officials involved in enforcing Yoon's martial law decree, including ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who received a 30-year jail term. This comes after Yoon was previously sentenced to five years in prison for resisting arrest and fabricating the martial law proclamation.
Yoon is the first former South Korean president to receive a life sentence since the military dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who was sentenced to death in 1996 for his 1979 coup and the 1980 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Gwangju. The Supreme Court later reduced his sentence to life imprisonment, and he was released in 1997 under a special presidential pardon.
