On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court convicted Yoon of offences including obstructing authorities from executing an arrest warrant related to the martial law declaration

A South Korean court has sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison after finding him guilty of charges linked to his declaration of martial law in December 2024.

On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court convicted Yoon of offences including obstructing authorities from executing an arrest warrant related to the martial law declaration, falsifying official documents, and failing to follow the legal procedures required to impose martial law.

Delivering the verdict, Judge Baek Dae-hyun said Yoon had failed to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law.

“Despite having a paramount duty as president to protect the Constitution and observe the rule of law, the defendant instead showed an attitude that disregarded the Constitution,” Baek said.

“The defendant’s culpability is extremely serious,” the judge added.

Yoon has seven days to appeal the ruling.
Speaking outside the court shortly after the verdict, Yoon’s lawyer, Yoo Jung-hwa, said the former president would challenge the decision.

“We regret that the ruling was made in a politicised manner,” she said.

The judgment marks the first court ruling in a series of criminal cases facing Yoon over his failed attempt to impose martial law, which lasted only about six hours but sent shockwaves through South Korean society, long regarded as one of the world’s most stable democracies.