Former South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol sentenced to life imprisonment for “rebellion”

Former South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Seoul Central District Court for “rebellion”. The sentence was related to his declaration of martial law in December 2024, which the court described as a deliberate plot to “paralyze” the National Assembly.Agence France-Presse quoted Ji Gwi-yeon, the president of the Seoul Central District Court, as saying, “As for the defendant Yoon Seok-yeol, he was found guilty of leading a rebellion.”“The declaration of martial law has caused huge social costs and it is difficult to find any indication that the defendant expresses remorse for it,” the judge added in announcing the “life sentence” verdict.A special prosecutor called for the death penalty for Mr Yoon, saying his actions posed a serious threat to the country’s democracy and deserved the harshest punishment. However, most analysts expect Yoon to receive a life sentence as his ill-planned power grab resulted in no casualties. South Korea has not executed a death row inmate since 1997 and has effectively maintained a moratorium on executions amid rising calls for abolition.When Yoon arrived at the Seoul courthouse, hundreds of police officers monitored the scene while supporters rallied outside the judicial building. Nearby, critics called for the death penalty, their protests intensifying as the prison bus carrying Yoon passed by.The court will also hear the case of seven former military and police officials accused of enforcing Yin’s martial law order. Yoon, a staunch conservative, has defended the six-hour order as necessary to prevent “anti-state” liberal forces from impeding his agenda. The measure was scrapped after lawmakers broke through a military blockade and voted unanimously to repeal it.Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, after being impeached by Congress, and was formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has been detained since July 2025 and faces multiple criminal trials, with rebellion charges carrying the harshest penalties. He was sentenced to five years in prison last month for resisting arrest, falsifying martial law and bypassing a legally required plenary cabinet meeting before announcing the measure.The Seoul Central Court also convicted two members of Yoon’s cabinet in related cases. South Korean Prime Minister Han Deok-soo was sentenced to 23 years in prison for trying to legalize the decree through a cabinet meeting, falsifying records and lying under oath. Han has appealed the verdict.