Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been found guilty of leading an insurrection and sentenced to life in prison over his 2024 martial law declaration that shocked the nation and triggered the country¡¯s most severe political crisis in decades.
The verdict marks the conclusion of one of the most consequential judicial proceedings involving a former South Korean president, with the martial law episode garnering attention as a test of the country¡¯s democratic health. The incident dredged up memories of former leader Chun Doo-Hwan, who was sentenced to death over an attempted coup in the late 1970s. Chun was ultimately pardoned.
The Seoul Central District Court handed down the guilty sentence Thursday after prosecutors sought the death penalty on grounds that Yoon posed a grave threat to the country¡¯s constitutional order.
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