South Korea’s ex-President Yoon gets life in prison for insurrection

South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk-yeol has been found guilty of masterminding an insurrection and sentenced to life in prison over his imposition of short-lived martial law in 2024. “The declaration of martial law resulted in enormous social costs, and it is difficult to find any indication that the defendant has expressed remorse for that,” Presiding Judge Ji Gwi-yeon told the court on Thursday. “As to defendant Yoon Suk-yeol, the crime of insurrection leadership is established,” the judge said.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon was the leader of the December 3, 2024 insurrection in a case where prosecutors had sought the death penalty for the disgraced ex-president, who was impeached and removed from office over his declaration of martial law. The court found that the core fact of Yoon’s martial law case was that he sent the military to the National Assembly in December 2024, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. The court also ruled that Yoon intended to prevent and paralyse the National Assembly from functioning properly for a significant period of time, but rejected the special prosecutor’s claim that Yoon planned to establish a long-term dictatorship, according to Yonhap.

Yoon, 65, had maintained his innocence throughout his court appearances, arguing that he had the authority to declare martial law as president and that his decision was aimed at preventing opposition political parties from obstructing the government’s work. A heavy security presence surrounded the Seoul Central District Court with police buses forming a tight cordon around the court, blocking surrounding streets as officers stood guard against possible unrest. Prosecutors accuse Yoon of abusing his authority when he ordered troops to enter parliament and remove political opponents during his short-lived declaration of martial law.

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Yoon remains in custody at the Seoul Detention Centre and is expected to stay there regardless of Thursday’s decision. Following the court’s decision, Yoon’s lawyers said the ruling had only affirmed a “pre-written script” and claimed that it was not supported by evidence in the case, without elaborating.

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