Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced to life in prison by the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday for “leading an insurrection” by attempting to impose martial law in December 2024.
“It is recognized that Yoon Suk-yeol acted with the purpose of subverting the Constitution by sending the military to the National Assembly to paralyze or limit its function for a prolonged period,” presiding Judge Ji Gwi-yeon said.
The prosecution wanted the death penalty for Yoon, arguing that he and his co-conspirators “attempted to monopolize power and extend their rule by using martial law to override the legislative and judicial branches, disregarding the suffering the public would endure.”
The court concluded there was not enough evidence that Yoon declared martial law to extend his time in office, but still ruled that his actions were a “violent uprising aimed at excluding state authority” and “disrupting the constitutional order,” which is the technical definition of “insurrection” under Korean law.
The court also referred to the example of King Charles I of England, who was executed for treason in 1649 – and who was, coincidentally, the last member of the British royal family to be arrested until this week.
“The verdict in that case established that attacking a representative legislative body elected by the people constitutes an insurrection – even when committed by a king,” Ji noted.
Yoon shocked the world on December 3, 2024, by declaring a state of “emergency martial law” to “protect the Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces.”
The president contended that South Korean opposition forces were engaged in a sinister conspiracy to paralyze the government, using techniques such as politicized impeachments, parliamentary obstructionism, and radical budget cuts.
Yoon claimed one of the alleged conspiracy’s top goals was to subvert the South Korean justice system to protect left-wing opposition leader Lee Jae-myung from charges of violating election law. Lee would go on to succeed Yoon as president in a June 2025 special election after Yoon was impeached and removed from office.
The Seoul Central District Court came down with particular vigor on Yoon and his former defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, for sending troops to shut down the South Korean legislature, the National Assembly. Kim was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Thursday.
The use of military force to prevent the National Assembly from convening was, in the court’s view, a “riotous” act that pushed Yoon’s deeds over the line into an “insurrection” that merited life in prison.
“It is reasonable to conclude that these acts had the force to disrupt the peace not only across South Korea but at least in Seoul and the metropolitan area, where the National Assembly and the Election Commission are located,” the judges ruled.
“Martial law inherently restricts the authority of the legislature and judiciary. Therefore, a declaration of martial law alone cannot automatically be deemed an insurrection,” the court noted.
The legislature managed to meet anyway, with some lawmakers climbing through windows to get past the troops dispatched by Yoon and Kim, and they voted to nullify Yoon’s martial law decree about six hours after he imposed it.
The court additionally sentenced former National Police Agency Commissioner Gen. Cho Ji-ho to 12 years, former Korea Defense Intelligence Command director Noh Sang-won to 18 years, former Seoul police chief Kim Bong-shik to 10 years, and former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency head of security for the National Assembly Mok Hyun-tae to 3 years for their roles in the martial law insurrection.
Judge Ji said these additional defendants had a responsibility to resist Yoon’s orders, due to their official duties and their responsibilities to those serving beneath them.
“Military personnel, police officers, and public officials who carried out the measures related to the emergency martial law have faced significant public criticism, legal responsibilities, and their trust in the legality and legitimacy of their superiors’ orders has been undermined,” he said.
Protests erupted outside the courthouse on Thursday, both for and against Yoon. The anti-Yoon demonstrators used loudspeakers to demand the death penalty for the former president, while his supporters waved both South Korean and American flags. One Yoon supporter was spotted wearing a jacket emblazoned with the slogan “MKGA” for “Make Korea Great Again,” a play on U.S. President Donald Trump’s famous slogan.
“It’s unbelievable. I am at a loss for words,” one dejected Yoon supporter said after the verdict was announced. Many in the Yoon camp dismissed the trial as political theater, and a ploy by the left-wing government to purge Yoon’s party and supporters. The pro-Yoon camp was hopeful that he would appeal his sentence, a process that could take months to complete.
“Yoon is also facing three other martial law order related trials. The next serious one is the charge of benefitting the enemy. He is accused of sending a military drone to North Korea to provoke a confrontation which would have served as a pretext to the declaration of martial law,” the BBC noted.
Yoon could also seek a presidential pardon, which has been extended to every previously convicted South Korean president after a short stint in prison, to preserve national unity.
“However, it’s difficult to imagine the current president Lee Jae Myung, who was nearly arrested during the martial law order, showing Yoon the same mercy,” the BBC speculated.
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