US EditionSouth Korea's ex-president Yoon given 5-year jail term in first ruling over martial law
Yoon was convicted of abuse of power, obstructing arrest, and falsifying documents; the ruling is the first of eight related trials amid political turmoil.
- On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison for charges tied to his late-2024 martial law decree, marking the first verdict in eight related trials.
- Yoon's Dec. 3, 2024 martial law declaration was nullified after about six hours by the National Assembly, sparking protests by the South Korean public and leading to his impeachment and removal.
- The court found that Yoon had obstructed an arrest warrant, excluded seven ministers from cabinet meetings, and fabricated then destroyed a martial‑law related document.
- One of Yoon's lawyers, Yoo Jung‑hwa, said the former president would appeal and both sides have seven days to do so, while Yoon faces seven more trials with the next sentencing on Feb. 19, as about 100 supporters gathered outside the courthouse on Friday.
- Prosecutors under special counsel Cho Eun‑seok had sought a combined 10‑year term and the death penalty for the insurrection charge, arguing Yoon privatized state institutions and tarnished national dignity.
166 Articles
166 Articles
South Korea's ex-president jailed for five years over martial law declaration
The ruling is the first in relation to multiple criminal charges Yoon Suk Yeol faces over his failed bid to impose martial law, with prosecutors requesting the death penalty in a separate trial.
S Korea's Yoon jailed for five years over martial law bid
A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison on charges that included obstructing attempts by authorities to arrest him following his failed bid to impose martial law in December 2024.
Former President Yun Seok-jeol, who plunged South Korea into a political crisis, has seven days to appeal his conviction.
A court in South Korea has sentenced former President Yoon Suk-yeol to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other crimes related to his declaration of martial law in December 2024.
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other charges, at the end of the first in a series of trials for his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024. The sentence of less than ten years' imprisonment requested by the prosecution against the 65-year-old conservative former leader, whose coup d'état against Parliament provoked a political crisis that l…
Former South Korean President Yoon Sentenced to Five Years Over Martial Law Attempt
A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison, marking the first ruling connected to his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024. The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of mobilizing the presidential security service to obstruct authorities from executing an arrest warrant […] The post Former South Korean President Yoon Sentenced to Five Years Over Martial Law Attempt ap…
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