Today, the Seoul Central District Court is preparing to announce the verdict for Yoon Suk-yeol, former President of South Korea, in a case involving abuse of power to help a former defense minister evade investigation.
On 11 September 2026, the Seoul Central District Court in South Korea will deliver its verdict in the case of Yoon Suk-yeol, former President of South Korea, charged with aiding a suspect to escape investigation and abuse of power. The case concerns the appointment of Lee Jong-seop, former Defense Minister, as South Korea's ambassador to Australia in November 2023. The court is scheduled to announce the verdict at 14:00 local time.
Reports indicate that the special prosecution team has requested the court to sentence Yoon to five years in prison, alleging that he ordered the appointment of Lee Jong-seop as ambassador to Australia to help Lee avoid investigation over allegations related to concealing facts about the death of a marine earlier that year.
The special prosecution suspects that former President Yoon tried to send Lee, a key suspect in the concealment case, abroad to prevent the investigation from reaching him. As a result, Lee Jong-seop traveled to Australia in March 2024 but had to return to South Korea just days later following intense public criticism regarding the appointment.
Besides Yoon, the special prosecution has also proposed prison sentences of three years each for Cho Tae-young, former National Security Advisor, and Park Sung-jae, former Minister of Justice. Both are among five officials charged in this case for their involvement in the appointment and the travel of the former Defense Minister to Australia.
Meanwhile, former President Yoon faces several other legal cases, including an attempt to declare martial law in 2024, allegations of corruption involving his wife, and the marine's death case. The main case accusing Yoon of leading a rebellion by attempting to declare martial law remains under appeal after the lower court sentenced him to life imprisonment in February.
Source: Yonhap