South Korean court imposes life sentence on former president over martial law crisis

Or former Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life sentence this Thursday (19) after being found guilty of leading an insurrection related to the declaration of martial law in the country in 2024. The sentence was handed down by a court that assessed that the actions of the former head of state represented a threat to the constitutional order and the South Korean democratic system.

The prosecution had requested death penaltyarguing that Yoon showed no remorse and that his decisions compromised institutional stability. Even if capital punishment were applied, execution would be unlikely, as South Korea has had an informal moratorium on executions since 1997.

During the trial, Yoon maintained that the declaration of martial law constituted a legitimate exercise of his emergency presidential prerogatives. According to him, “the exercise of a president’s emergency constitutional powers to protect the nation and maintain constitutional order cannot be considered an act of insurrection.” The former president also stated that the opposition imposed an “unconstitutional dictatorship” by controlling the Legislature and declared that “there was no other option than to awaken the people, who are sovereign”.

The defense classified the court decision as the result of a “pre-written script” and stated that the sentence would not be based on evidence, indicating that it will discuss the possibility of an appeal with the former president.

The conviction follows another court decision in January, when Yoon received a five-year prison sentence for obstruction of justice. This process was the first in a series of eight criminal actions filed against the former president, accused of attempting a coup by imposing martial law in December 2024 — an episode that triggered a serious political crisis and culminated in his dismissal.

In the previous trial, the court found that Yoon violated due process by declaring martial law and committed additional irregularities, including excluding officials from preparatory meetings, producing an official document related to the measure, obstructing his own arrest while sheltering in the official residence, and destroying telephone records that could serve as evidence. Judge Baek Dae-hyun stated that, despite his duty to defend the Constitution, the defendant demonstrated conduct that disrespected the rule of law, classifying the severity of his culpability as high. The accusation of document forgery, however, was rejected due to lack of evidence.

Yoon has remained in prison since July 2025. The defense has already signaled that it intends to appeal the new conviction.

The crisis originated on December 3, 2024, when the then president declared martial law and attempted to restrict civil rights and limit the functioning of Parliament. The measure was reversed a few hours later in the face of resistance from lawmakers and popular demonstrations. In later proceedings, Yoon and his lawyers argued that the initiative did not seek full implementation of martial law, but was intended to act as a warning to break the political impasse.