ISTANBUL
A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection in connection with his attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.
The Seoul Central District Court convicted Yoon of acting as an “insurrection ringleader” and handed down a life sentence in the first trial, Yonhap News reported.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty over his failed attempt to impose martial law on the night of Dec. 3, 2024.
Yoon attended the hearing, which was broadcast live on national television.
In its verdict, the court said the martial law order amounted to an insurrection, stating that Yoon sought to cripple the National Assembly by sending troops to the parliament compound.
The court also sentenced former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to 30 years in prison, while former Intelligence Commander Noh Sang-won received an 18-year sentence for their roles in the failed martial law declaration.
Some 1,000 supporters of Yoon held protests outside the court as the sentence was announced.
While Yoon's opponents cheered over the court's decision, some were not happy with the court for not handing down a death penalty as the prosecution sought.
Rep. Seo Young-kyo of the ruling Democratic Party expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling and said hundreds of thousands of bullets had been aimed at citizens and lawmakers during the martial law bid.
Several Democratic Party lawmakers had called for the death penalty ahead of the court day, to discourage a recurrence of the martial law, according to the Chosun Daily.
Yoon was indicted in January 2025 on charges of leading an insurrection after declaring martial law in December 2024, a move that lasted approximately six hours before being overturned.
Prosecutors alleged that he ordered military troops and police to surround the National Assembly in an effort to block lawmakers from voting down his decree.
Yoon, on the other hand, had explained his declaration of martial law as an act of governance aimed at "protecting" the state just a few days after the decree. In the declaration, he claimed to "root out anti-state forces" and accused the election commission of interference, but provided no evidence.
Last month, Yoon was also sentenced to five years in prison on charges that he obstructed investigators’ attempt to detain him last year.
The ousted president faced eight cases, including two in which he has been convicted.