Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been handed a life sentence following his short-lived declaration of martial law, marking a significant conclusion to the nation’s major political turmoil in recent history.
Yoon’s downfall came after an unsuccessful bid to confront an opposition-led legislature by enforcing martial law and deploying troops to encircle the legislature on December 3, 2024. Judge Jee Kui-youn ruled Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilizing military and police forces in an unlawful move to capture the liberal-led National Assembly, detain politicians, and establish unchecked authority for an extended period. Yoon is expected to challenge the court’s decision.
Although a special prosecutor pushed for the death penalty, arguing that Yoon’s actions endangered the country’s democracy and warranted the most severe punishment available, most experts anticipate a life imprisonment sentence due to the poorly executed power seizure that did not result in any casualties.
South Korea has refrained from executing death row inmates since 1997, reflecting a de facto halt on capital punishment amid growing calls for its abolition.
Upon Yoon’s arrival at the court, a large contingent of police officers closely monitored his supporters rallying outside the judicial complex, with emotions running high as the prison bus carrying him passed by. Meanwhile, critics of Yoon gathered nearby, demanding the death penalty.
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 prison term for his pivotal role in orchestrating the measure and mobilizing the military.
Yoon, a firm conservative, has justified his martial law decree as essential to thwart liberals, whom he labeled as “anti-state” elements, from impeding his agenda with their legislative dominance.
The decree was lifted after approximately six hours when a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through a military cordon and unanimously voted to revoke the measure.
Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, following his impeachment by lawmakers and was formally ousted by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has been in custody since last July, facing multiple criminal trials, with the rebellion charge carrying the most severe penalties.
In a separate ruling last month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for resisting arrest, fabricating the martial law proclamation, and bypassing a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before announcing the measure. The Seoul Central Court has also convicted two of Yoon’s Cabinet members in unrelated cases, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who received a 23-year prison term for trying to legitimize the decree by coercing it through a Cabinet Council meeting, falsifying records, and providing false testimony. Han has appealed the judgment.