South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced to life in prison on charges of insurrection stemming from his declaration of emergency martial law, live footage showed Thursday.
The Seoul Central District Court delivered its ruling, broadcast live, stating that Yoon’s deployment of troops to the National Assembly violated its authority and constituted insurrection. The court found that Yoon attempted to prevent parliament from functioning for a significant period, committing acts intended to subvert the constitutional order.
By law, the ringleader of an insurrection can face either the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted. Independent counsel Cho Eun-suk had requested a death sentence for Yoon, citing his declaration of unconstitutional emergency martial law despite no war or national emergency.
Yoon was also charged with mobilizing martial law troops and police to block the National Assembly from lifting martial law and attempting to detain key political leaders, including party heads and the parliamentary speaker.
Yoon became South Korea’s third former president to face insurrection charges, following Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, both convicted for military coups and crackdowns under martial law.
The court merged three trials last December for eight suspects, including Yoon and seven senior military and police officials. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun received a 30-year sentence for his role in the insurrection, while former Defense Intelligence Commander Noh Sang-won and former National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho were sentenced to 18 and 12 years, respectively.
The emergency martial law was declared by Yoon on Dec. 3, 2024, but revoked hours later by the National Assembly. The constitutional court upheld Yoon’s impeachment in April 2025, officially removing him from office. He was indicted in January 2025 while in detention as the suspected ringleader of the insurrection.
