A Seoul court sentenced former President Yoon Suk-yeol to five years in prison for abuse of power and document forgery related to a failed attempt to declare martial law in December 2024, while attention now turns to a rebellion case with a maximum penalty of death scheduled for February.
The Seoul court issued its first verdict in one of four cases concerning Yoon Suk-yeol's attempted declaration of martial law. The former president, who was impeached, was sentenced to five years for abuse of power and forgery of official documents.
Key issues the court examined included obstructing arrest by using presidential security officers to prevent his detention, declaring martial law without consulting the entire Cabinet as legally required, and forging documents by creating and destroying papers allegedly endorsed by the prime minister and defense minister approving the martial law declaration.
Yoon denied all charges, arguing that his arrest warrant was unlawful from the start and that the law does not require consulting the entire Cabinet before exercising emergency powers. He also insisted there were no procedural errors in his martial law declaration.
However, prosecutors stated that Yoon's lack of remorse justified a harsher penalty and proposed a 10-year prison sentence for charges including obstruction of justice and abuse of power.
Today's ruling signals a critical development for the remaining cases, especially the most serious charge of "rebellion," for which prosecutors seek the death penalty. The court is expected to issue a ruling on the rebellion case around February.
Although the attempted martial law declaration sparked mass protests involving hundreds of thousands that led to the opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's electoral victory, December polls found nearly 30% of South Koreans do not believe Yoon's actions constituted rebellion.
Outside the courthouse, about 100 supporters gathered to show solidarity, viewing their former leader as a "political martyr," amid heightened security measures.
. BBC