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Yoon found himself out of office following a misguided move to bypass an opposition-dominated legislature by declaring martial law and deploying troops to encircle the assembly on December 3, 2024.
Judge Jee Kui-youn convicted Yoon of rebellion, citing his unlawful mobilization of military and police forces aimed at seizing control of the liberal-led National Assembly, detaining politicians, and establishing unchecked authority for an extended period.
Yoon is expected to challenge the ruling through an appeal.
The special prosecutor had called for Yoon to face the death penalty, arguing that his actions endangered the nation’s democracy and warranted the harshest punishment. However, analysts anticipate a life sentence, as the poorly executed coup attempt did not result in any casualties.
South Korea has not carried out a death sentence since 1997, effectively placing a moratorium on capital punishment amid ongoing discussions about its abolition.
As Yoon arrived in court, hundreds of police officers watched closely as Yoon supporters rallied outside a judicial complex, their cries rising as the prison bus transporting him drove past. Yoon’s critics gathered nearby, demanding the death penalty.
The court also convicted and sentenced several former military and police officials involved in enforcing Yoon’s martial law decree, including ex-defence minister Kim Yong Hyun, who received a 30-year jail term for his central role in planning the measure and mobilizing the military.
Yoon, a staunch conservative, has defended his martial law decree as necessary to stop liberals, whom he described as “anti-state” forces, from obstructing his agenda with their legislative majority.
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 the measure.
Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, after being impeached by lawmakers and was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has been under arrest since July while facing multiple criminal trials, with the rebellion charge carrying the most severe punishment.
Last month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for resisting arrest, fabricating the martial law proclamation and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before declaring the measure.
The Seoul Central Court has also convicted two of Yoon’s Cabinet members in other cases. That includes Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who received a 23-year prison sentence for attempting to legitimise 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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