Ousted Korean President Yoon Gets Life Term Over Martial Law Bid
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces life in prison after being found guilty of leading an insurrection with his 2024 martial law declaration, a move that shocked the nation and triggered the countrys most severe political crisis in decades.
Yoon and other defendants, including his former defense minister, undermined the core values of democracy by trying to paralyze the National Assembly, the Seoul Central District Court said, handing down the verdict on Thursday.
The court delivered a life sentence for Yoon. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty on grounds that he posed a grave threat to the countrys constitutional order. Yoons former defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The social costs stemming from the martial law declaration are incalculable, the court said. Our society became politically polarized, experiencing extreme confrontation.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-19/ousted-korean-president-yoon-sentenced-to-life-over-martial-law?srnd=homepage-americas