Ex-South Korean President Yoon Gets 5-Year Jail Term

A South Korean court has sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison in the first verdict connected to his attempted declaration of martial law in December 2024, delivering a significant ruling in one of the most consequential legal cases in recent Korean history.

The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of obstructing justice and other charges, including blocking investigators from executing a lawful arrest warrant and failing to follow required legal procedures before declaring martial law. Prosecutors said these actions violated constitutional safeguards and constituted an abuse of presidential power.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun noted that such emergency measures must only be used in extraordinary circumstances and with full legal deliberation, something the court ruled Yoon failed to do.

The ruling marks the first of a series of expected verdicts tied to the events surrounding the brief imposition of martial law, which sparked nationwide protests and political turmoil. Yoon, who was removed from office in April 2025 following impeachment, has the right to appeal within seven days.

In addition to the obstruction charges, the court found that Yoon improperly excluded several cabinet members from key deliberations and fabricated documents related to the martial law declaration. Prosecutors had sought a longer sentence, but the court settled on five years in prison.

Yoon also faces separate trials, including one in which prosecutors are seeking harsher sentences over insurrection-related charges.