A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison for obstructing his arrest, marking the first criminal verdict connected to his actions during the December 2024 martial law crisis.
The ruling is the country’s first judicial determination on the illegality of both declaring and implementing martial law.
The court found that Yoon directed presidential security officials to block authorities from executing a lawful arrest warrant at his residence. He was also found to have violated the rights of nine cabinet members to properly deliberate on the martial law declaration by convening only a select group of ministers, giving the appearance of an official meeting.
The trial was broadcast live, with Yoon attending in a white shirt and navy suit, remaining expressionless as the sentence was read.
“Despite having a greater duty than anyone else as president to uphold the Constitution, he disregarded measures designed to prevent presidential arbitrariness,” said Judge Baek Dae-hyun of the Seoul Central District Court.
Earlier this week, prosecutors requested the death penalty in a separate trial, accusing Yoon of leading an insurrection. They argued his alleged actions posed a severe threat to the constitutional order, noting that insurrection remains one of the few crimes in South Korea still punishable by death.
