South Korean Court Sentences Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol To 5 Years In Prison Over Martial Law

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean court sentences former President Yoon Suk Yeol The first verdict in the eight criminal case on Friday was a sentence of five years in prison martial law fiasco it forced him out of office and other claims.

Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed after causing a major incident following the brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. public protests calling for his removal from office.

The most important criminal complaint against him is the claim that the application of martial law is as follows: a rebellion. Independent lawyer requested death penalty On this charge, the Seoul Central District Court will decide on this on February 19.

Yoon protected He said that he did not intend to put the country under military rule for a long period of time and that his decree was only intended to inform the public about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament blocking his agenda. However, investigators viewed Yoon’s decision as an attempt to support and support. prolongs his reign, accusing him of rebellion, abuse of power and other crimes.

In Friday’s case, the Seoul court found Yoon to detain He fabricated a declaration of martial law and avoided the legally mandated full Cabinet meeting, depriving some Cabinet members who did not meet of their right to deliberate on his decree.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised verdict that a “severe sentence” was necessary because Yoon showed no remorse and only repeated “incomprehensible excuses.” The judge also said it was necessary to repair the legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action.

Yoon’s defense team said they would appeal the decision, which they believed was “politicized” and reflected “illiberal arguments from independent counsel.” Yoon’s defense team argued that the decision “oversimplifies the line between the exercise of the president’s constitutional powers and criminal liability.”

Lawyer Park SungBae, who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance that the court in the riot case will rule that Yoon should face the death penalty. He said the court would likely impose a sentence of life imprisonment or 30 years or more.

South Korea has had a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997, and courts rarely impose the death penalty. Park said the court will take into account that Yoon’s decision did not cause any loss of life and did not last long, but Yoon showed no real remorse for his action.

South Korea has a history of pardoning former presidents imprisoned for various crimes in the name of promoting national unity. Those pardoned include dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who was sentenced to death in a district court for his 1979 coup, a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 1980 that left nearly 200 people dead and other crimes.

Even if Yoon avoids the death penalty or life imprisonment in the riot case, he could face other prison sentences in lesser cases.

Some observers say Yoon is likely taking a defiant stance in ongoing cases to maintain his support base in the belief that he cannot avoid a long sentence but could be pardoned in the future.

Yoon suddenly declared martial law in a televised speech on the night of December 3, 2024, saying he would eliminate “anti-state forces” and protect the “constitutional democratic order.” Yoon sent troops and police officers to surround the National Assembly, but it appears that many did not aggressively cordon off the area and allowed enough lawmakers into the assembly hall to reject Yoon’s decree.

There was no major violence, but Yoon’s decree caused South Korea’s biggest political crisis in decades and shook diplomacy and financial markets. For many, his decree, the first of its kind in South Korea in more than 40 years, brought back harrowing memories of past dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s, when military-backed leaders used martial law and emergency measures to deploy troops and tanks into the streets to suppress demonstrations.

Liberal rival after Yoon’s ouster Lee Jae Myung He became president in early elections last June. Appointed after Lee took office three independent consultants To investigate allegations against Yoon, his wife, and his friends.

Yoon’s other cases involve the following charges: ordering drone flights North Korea deliberately inflames hostilities to seek a pretext for declaring martial law. Other accusations accuse Yoon of manipulating the investigation drowning of a sailor in 2023 and receive free opinion polls from an election commissioner in exchange for a political favor.