A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison after finding him guilty of obstructing justice and related offences tied to his failed declaration of martial law and the political turmoil that followed.
Judge Baek Dae-hyun of the Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon deliberately blocked investigators from detaining him and unlawfully excluded cabinet members from a key meeting where martial law was planned. “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,” the judge said. “The defendant’s culpability is extremely grave.”
The court acquitted Yoon of forging official documents, citing insufficient evidence. He has seven days to file an appeal. Prosecutors had sought a 10-year sentence, while Yoon has maintained throughout the trial that he broke no laws.
The verdict is the first in a series of legal cases facing the former leader, whose brief suspension of civilian rule on December 3, 2024, triggered mass protests and a dramatic confrontation in parliament. Yoon was subsequently removed from office and now faces multiple trials arising from the crisis and its aftermath.
Earlier this week, prosecutors demanded the death penalty for Yoon in a separate case, calling him the “ringleader of an insurrection” for orchestrating the martial law declaration. They argued he showed “no remorse” for actions that threatened South Korea’s constitutional order and democracy. South Korea, however, has observed an unofficial moratorium on executions since 1997, making a death sentence unlikely to be carried out.
Yoon appeared defiant in court, smiling as prosecutors presented their case. In his closing statement, he defended the martial law declaration as a lawful exercise of presidential emergency powers, accusing the then-opposition of imposing an “unconstitutional dictatorship” through its control of the legislature. He argued there was “no other option but to awaken the people, who are the sovereign.”
The court is expected to deliver a ruling on the insurrection charges on February 19. Yoon is also facing a separate trial over allegations of aiding the enemy, concerning claims that he authorised drone flights over North Korea to justify the martial law declaration.
