South Korean court sentences former President Yoon to life in prison
(VOVWORLD) - The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection through a failed attempt to impose martial law in 2024.
 Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attended his fourth hearing in Seoul in January 2025. (Photo: JEON HEON-KYUN/Pool via REUTERS) |
Delivering its verdict at the first hearing of the case, the court said Yoon had intended to paralyze the National Assembly by deploying the military to the parliamentary complex following his declaration of martial law. Special prosecutors had earlier sought the death penalty for the former president.
The case arose from Yoon’s abrupt decision to declare martial law in late 2024, a move widely seen as an attempt to retain power amid mounting political pressure.