Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Sentenced to Life

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA —  Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday after being found guilty of "leading an uprising" during his failed attempt to impose martial law in late 2024. The court ruled that Yoon’s actions were driven by a "thirst for dictatorship and long-term power," causing immense social costs and a national constitutional crisis.

The 65-year-old conservative leader, who was impeached and arrested shortly after the short-lived military decree backfired, faced a wide range of charges from "sedition" to "obstruction of justice."

Court ruling and lack of remorse

Presiding Judge Ji Gwi-yeon stated during the sentencing that it was difficult to find any signs of remorse from the defendant. "The declaration of martial law had muazzam (enormous) social costs," the judge noted while announcing the life sentence. Throughout the trial, Yoon was held in solitary confinement and maintained his defense that his actions were a legal attempt to restore order against what he called a "legislative dictatorship" by the opposition.

Although prosecutors had initially requested the death penalty in a January hearing, the court decided on a life term for the former president. The ruling concludes one of the most tumultuous chapters in South Korean democratic history.

The failed 2024 martial law attempt

The crisis began on December 3, 2024, when Yoon unexpectedly declared martial law, claiming it was necessary to protect the Republic of Korea from "North Korean communist forces." However, the move backfired within hours as citizens and lawmakers rushed to the National Assembly to block soldiers from entering the building. The opposition-led parliament quickly voted to nullify the declaration, leading to Yoon's immediate loss of political authority.

Yoon, who took office in 2022, had become a "lame duck" after losing the parliamentary majority in the April 2023 elections. Unable to gain legislative support for his policies, his move to declare martial law was seen as a desperate attempt to bypass democratic institutions. Mass protests in the streets of Seoul eventually led to his impeachment and arrest last year.

Sentences for the Defense Minister and First Lady

Other key figures in the crisis also received heavy penalties. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in coordinating the military response during the failed uprising.

Furthermore, the former First Lady, Kim Keon Hee, was sentenced to 20 months in prison earlier in January for bribery and corruption charges dating back to her time in office. The sentencing of the former president and his inner circle marks a definitive end to his administration and sets a significant legal precedent in the country.

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