A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of insurrection linked to his declaration of martial law in December 2024.
Delivering the ruling on Thursday, Justice Ji Gwi-yeon of the Seoul Central District Court said the move was intended to paralyse the country’s National Assembly by deploying troops to the legislature.
“The Court finds that the intention was to paralyse the assembly for a considerable period,” the judge said.
The court said the martial law declaration caused major social disruption and noted there was no sign the former leader had shown remorse.
“We sentence Yoon to life imprisonment,” the judge ruled.
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Yoon had announced martial law in a televised address in December 2024, saying drastic steps were needed to eliminate what he described as “anti-state forces” in the National Assembly.
The 65-year-old conservative politician was later impeached, arrested, and charged with several offences, including insurrection and obstruction of justice.
Former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun was also sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the crisis.
Prosecutors had asked the court to impose the death penalty on Yoon during hearings in January.