Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was yesterday sentenced to life in prison for his brief imposition of martial law in a dramatic culmination to the nation’s biggest political crisis in decades.
Yoon was ousted from office after a baffling attempt to overcome an opposition-controlled legislature by declaring martial law and sending troops to surround the National Assembly on Dec. 3, 2024.
Seoul Central District Court Judge Jee Kui-youn said he found Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilizing military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the liberal-led National Assembly, arrest politicians and establish unchecked power for a “considerable” time.
Photo: AP
Yoon’s martial law imposition, the first of its kind in more than four decades, harkened back to South Korea’s past military-backed governments when authorities occasionally proclaimed emergency decrees that allowed them to station soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles on streets or at public places, such as schools, to prevent anti-government demonstrations.
As lawmakers rushed to the National Assembly, Yoon’s martial law command issued a proclamation declaring sweeping powers, including suspending political activities, controlling the media and publications, and allowing arrests without warrants.
The decree lasted about six hours before being lifted after a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through a military blockade and unanimously voted to lift it.
Yoon was suspended from office on Dec. 14, 2024, after being impeached by lawmakers and was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April last year. He has been under arrest since July while facing multiple criminal trials, with the rebellion charge carrying the most severe punishment.
Yoon Kap-keun, one of the former president’s lawyers, accused Jee of issuing a “predetermined verdict” based solely on prosecutors’ arguments and said the “rule of law” had collapsed.
He said he would discuss whether to appeal with his client and the rest of the legal team.
Yoon Suk-yeol told the court the martial law decree was only meant to raise public awareness of how the liberals were paralyzing state affairs, and that he was prepared to respect lawmakers if they voted against the measure.
Prosecutors said it was clear he was attempting to disable the legislature and prevent lawmakers from lifting the measure through voting, actions that exceeded his constitutional authority even under martial law.
As the former president arrived in court, hundreds of police officers watched closely as his supporters rallied outside a judicial complex, their cries rising as the prison bus transporting him drove past. His critics gathered nearby, demanding the death penalty.
There were no immediate reports of major clashes following the verdict.
A special prosecutor had demanded the death penalty for Yoon Suk-yeol, saying his actions posed a threat to the country’s democracy and deserved the most serious punishment available, but most analysts expected a life sentence since the poorly planned power grab did not result in casualties.
The court also convicted and sentenced several former military and police officials involved in enforcing the martial law decree, including former minister of national defense Kim Yong-hyun, who received a 30-year jail term for his central role in planning the measure and mobilizing the military.
The Seoul Central Court has also convicted two members of Yoon Suk-yeol’s Cabinet in other cases. That includes former prime minister Han Duck-soo, who received a 23-year prison sentence for attempting to legitimize the decree by forcing it through a Cabinet Council meeting, falsifying records and lying under oath. Han has appealed the verdict.
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