Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been handed a life sentence following his brief enforcement of martial law, marking the climax of the nation’s most significant political turmoil in years. Yoon’s downfall ensued when he unsuccessfully tried to counter an opposition-dominated parliament by invoking martial law and deploying troops to encircle the legislative body on December 3, 2024.
Judge Jee Kui-youn pronounced Yoon guilty of rebellion for orchestrating the illegal mobilization of military and police forces in a bid to seize control of the liberal-led National Assembly, detain politicians, and establish unchecked authority for an extended period. Yoon is anticipated to challenge the ruling.
Despite a special prosecutor’s call for the death penalty, arguing that Yoon’s actions jeopardized democracy and warranted the severest punishment available, experts foresee a life imprisonment verdict due to the poorly executed power seizure that did not result in any fatalities. South Korea has refrained from executing death row inmates since 1997, indicating an implicit suspension of capital punishment amid growing calls for its elimination.
Upon Yoon’s court appearance, a substantial police presence monitored as his supporters demonstrated outside the judicial compound, while nearby critics demanded the death penalty. The court also found and sentenced multiple former military and police officials implicated in enforcing Yoon’s martial law directive, including ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who received a 30-year prison term for his pivotal role in planning and executing the measure.
Yoon, a fervent conservative, has justified his martial law decree as essential to thwarting liberals, whom he labeled as “anti-state” entities, from impeding his agenda with their legislative dominance. The decree was revoked approximately six hours later when lawmakers breached a military cordon and voted unanimously to rescind the measure.
Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, subsequent to his impeachment by legislators and was formally ousted by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has been in detention since July, facing multiple criminal trials, with the rebellion charge carrying the most severe penalties. Recently, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for various offenses, including resisting arrest, fabricating the martial law proclamation, and bypassing a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before implementing the decree.
Moreover, the Seoul Central Court has convicted two of Yoon’s Cabinet members in separate cases. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo received a 23-year jail term for attempting to legitimize the decree through a coerced Cabinet Council meeting, falsifying records, and providing false testimony. Han has lodged an appeal against the judgment.