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.
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.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a rare public rebuke of Israel's military tactics in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah militants, saying it wa...
French department store BHV and online fast-fashion retailer Shein have ended their partnership, seven months after the launch of a permanent Shein sh...
Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday convicted former lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro living in the U.S., of courting in...
Russian sailors aboard a naval frigate fired warning shots at a civilian yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday after the vessel reportedly came too ...
South Korea will shift a line running parallel to the military border with North Korea to narrow the area that restricts civilian access to reflect an...
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a rare public rebuke of Israel's military tactics in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah militants, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to hunt militants.
French department store BHV and online fast-fashion retailer Shein have ended their partnership, seven months after the launch of a permanent Shein shop in Paris triggered controversy and widespread criticism.
Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday convicted former lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro living in the U.S., of courting interference from the Trump administration in his father's trial last year for a coup plot.
South Korea will shift a line running parallel to the military border with North Korea to narrow the area that restricts civilian access to reflect an evolving security environment and for the convenience of local residents, the defence minister said on Wednesday.
A senior U.S. official said on Monday that the memorandum of understanding linked to the U.S.-Iran agreement had been signed by President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told U.S. President Donald Trump that Israel does not consider itself bound by a Lebanon-related provision in an emerging agreement with Iran, according to Israeli officials.
A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Tuesday, killing at least one person and injuring four, according to emergency authorities.
U.S. President Donald Trump said a preliminary agreement to end the war in the Gulf has been signed by the U.S. and Iran, though details have yet to be made public and both countries said a permanent truce is yet to be negotiated.
Ukraine has said it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Moscow region, marking one of the deepest reported attacks into Russian territory in recent months.
Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday convicted former lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro living in the U.S., of courting interference from the Trump administration in his father's trial last year for a coup plot.
South Korea will shift a line running parallel to the military border with North Korea to narrow the area that restricts civilian access to reflect an evolving security environment and for the convenience of local residents, the defence minister said on Wednesday.
A cyber extortion group has claimed it stole more than a terabyte of data from Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk after the company allegedly refused to pay a $25 million ransom.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday (16 June) that a lack of respect for international law remains the “biggest hurdle” to building international solidarity, as he addressed an outreach session at the G7 Summit in Evian.
The European Commission has warned of growing risks social media poses to children and teenagers on Tuesday 16 June, as Brussels moves closer to tightening protections for minors online.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment