Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to life in prison for leading insurrection in South Korea

"A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced the former president Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment with labour over his failed martial law declaration in December 2024, finding him guilty of leading an insurrection and making him the first elected head of state in the country's democratic era to receive the maximum custodial sentence. Under South Korean law, the charge of leading an insurrection carries three possible sentences: death, life imprisonment with labour, or life imprisonment without labour."

"Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, arguing that Yoon committed a grave destruction of constitutional order by mobilising troops to surround parliament and attempting to arrest political opponents during the six-hour crisis. Yoon maintained his innocence throughout the trial, characterising the investigation as a political conspiracy. He said he declared martial law to alert citizens to what he described as an unconstitutional parliamentary dictatorship by the then-opposition Democratic party."

"Yoon alleged election fraud without providing evidence and claimed the opposition had paralysed his government through budget cuts and impeachment proceedings. He argued that he deployed minimal, largely unarmed troops with no intention to suppress parliament. His legal team argued: There was no intent to disrupt constitutional order, and there was no riot. The verdict was announced 14 months after the insurrection, which was the most serious threat to South Korea's democracy in decades."

A South Korean court convicted former president Yoon Suk Yeol of leading an insurrection and sentenced him to life imprisonment with labour for his December 2024 martial law declaration. Under law, leading an insurrection carries death, life with labour, or life without labour. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, saying Yoon mobilised troops to surround parliament, attempt arrests of political opponents, and seize the national election commission. Yoon denied wrongdoing, claimed he acted to expose alleged election fraud and an unconstitutional parliamentary dictatorship, and said deployed troops were minimal and largely unarmed. The verdict came 14 months after the six-hour crisis, marking a major moment for South Korean democracy.

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