SEOUL, Feb 19 – A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection with his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024, a verdict underlining the country’s democratic foundations.
The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon acted as the “ringleader” an attempt to subvert the constitutional order. The statutory penalties for leading an insurrection under South Korean law are death, life imprisonment, or life imprisonment without labor.
The ruling came after the special counsel investigating Yoon demanded the death penalty on Jan. 13, arguing he had shown “absolutely no remorse” for destroying constitutional values, including the rule of law and such fundamental rights as freedom.
