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On Friday, a South Korean court handed down a five-year prison sentence to former President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection with charges tied to his enforcement of martial law.
This ruling represents the first verdict in a series of eight criminal trials concerning the decree Yoon enacted in late 2024, along with various other accusations.
The most severe accusation against him is orchestrating a rebellion through his imposition of martial law, which could potentially result in a death sentence.
The Seoul Central District Court, in its verdict, specifically sentenced Yoon for charges such as resisting authorities’ attempts to arrest him.
Yoon has yet to make a public statement regarding the court’s decision.
But when an independent counsel earlier demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon over those charges, Yoon’s defense team accused them of being politically driven and lacking legal grounds to demand such “an excessive” sentence.
Yoon has been impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.
Yoon maintains he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament which obstructed his agenda.
But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.