A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday for charges linked to his ordering a military drone incursion over North Korea to help create a pretext for his failed December 2024 martial law declaration.
The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of aiding the enemy and abuse of power, saying he had conspired in the October 2024 drone incursion over Pyongyang from the outset. The ruling adds to a series of judgments against the ousted conservative leader, once South Korea’s top prosecutor, whose martial law order plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy into its deepest political turmoil in decades.
Yoon had denied any wrongdoing over the drone incursion. His lawyers said he neither ordered nor later approved the operation, which they argued was unrelated to martial law and instead a response to months of North Korean launches across the border of balloons stuffed with rubbish. Prosecutors had sought the 30-year prison term in April.
A String Of Convictions
In February, a South Korean court sentenced Yoon to life in prison after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection linked to the martial law attempt – one of the most serious charges that can be brought against a sitting or former head of state. Friday’s 30-year sentence, handed down by the Seoul Central District Court, comes on top of that ruling and further cements his status as one of the most legally besieged former leaders in South Korean history.
Removal, Election And Appeal
Yoon was removed from office last year after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, triggering a snap election that was won by liberal President Lee Jae Myung. Yoon, who is already in custody, can appeal Friday’s lower court ruling. The embattled former president has appealed the earlier rulings against him, and the legal proceedings against him are expected to continue for some time yet.
(with input from Reuters)
