Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after a court found him guilty of leading an insurrection during his short-lived imposition of martial law, which plunged the country into political chaos and threatened to unravel decades of democracy, APA reports.
The verdict closes a chapter of one of South Korea’s biggest political crises, a saga that has been full of dramatic twists that have tested the country’s democratic guardrails.
On December 3, 2024, Yoon declared martial law in a late-night televised speech, saying there were “anti-state forces” within opposition parties that were sympathetic to North Korea.
Armed soldiers descended on the parliament by helicopter and attempted to storm the chamber where lawmakers were gathered. Shocked and angry citizens, along with lawmakers and parliament staff, rushed to barricade the entrances and fought to block the soldiers from reaching the chamber in chaotic scenes broadcast live on television.
Yoon’s shocking declaration revived dark memories of the country’s authoritarian past, plunged South Korea into a constitutional crisis and was widely condemned as striking at the heart of the nation’s democracy. He reversed course within six hours, after lawmakers forced their way into parliament and voted unanimously to block it.
A crowd of Yoon supporters gathered outside the Seoul Central District Court, watching proceedings on a big screen as it was broadcast live to the nation.
Former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun was also found guilty Thursday of playing a major role in the insurrection and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Kim had previously taken responsibility for ordering soldiers to enact martial law.
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