A South Korean court on Friday (Jan. 16) sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison, marking the first criminal ruling linked to his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.
The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon Suk Yeol guilty of obstructing justice by directing the presidential security service to block an arrest warrant, as well as fabricating documents and bypassing legally required cabinet procedures for martial law.
Key developments
• Five-year prison sentence for obstruction-related offences
• Guilty verdict for misuse of presidential authority
• Separate trial continues, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty on insurrection charges
• Yoon remains detained at Seoul Detention Center
• Defence lawyer Yoo Jung-hwa confirmed an appeal
Yoon was removed from office in April 2025 after the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled he violated his duties, following parliament’s impeachment vote. His brief martial law decree triggered a major political crisis in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
ℹ️ Reuters
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