South Korea court sentences ex-president Yoon to 5 years

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday after a court found he obstructed authorities from arresting him following his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled on Friday that Yoon unlawfully used the presidential security service to block investigators from executing a court-approved arrest warrant issued as part of a criminal probe into his short-lived martial law declaration.

Judges found that Yoon ordered security officials to prevent authorities from entering his residence and deliberately interfered with legal procedures, including fabricating official documents and failing to follow constitutional requirements governing the declaration of martial law.

“The defendant abused the authority of the presidency to obstruct the execution of legitimate warrants,” the presiding judge said, adding that Yoon effectively mobilised state security resources for personal protection.

Yoon has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that his actions fell within his presidential powers and were intended to highlight what he described as political obstruction by opposition parties. His legal team said the ruling would be appealed, calling the decision politically motivated.

The case marks the first criminal conviction linked to Yoon’s martial law bid, which lasted roughly six hours before parliament voted to overturn it. The declaration triggered a political crisis and led to his impeachment and removal from office by the Constitutional Court in April last year.

Yoon was eventually arrested after a second operation involving thousands of police officers, making him the first sitting South Korean president to be detained. He still faces a separate trial on charges of masterminding an insurrection, which could carry a life sentence or the death penalty.

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South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. ally, has been shaken by the episode, which tested its democratic institutions and constitutional order.

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Politics South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol seoul martial law trial