Yoon Suk Yeol, formerly South Korea's president, at his impeachment trial. Photo / Jintak Han, The Washington Post
A court in South Korea has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison, after convicting him of leading an insurrection when he declared martial law in late 2024. The judges could have sentenced him to death, by law the only alternative punishment.
Yoon was found guilty of acting as the ringleader of an insurrection when he orchestrated a disastrous attempt to install a military-led government late on a December night. As the military descended on the National Assembly, lawmakers overturned Yoon’s decree. Martial law was lifted within six hours, but Yoon was impeached, ousted from office and criminally charged with co-defendants who were also convicted in the insurrection case.
The Seoul Central District Court found that Yoon and his aides ordered the military to the National Assembly for the express purpose of obstructing the legislative process, and that Yoon used his presidential authority to declare martial law to subvert the constitution.
“The fact that so many public officials … are suffering immensely due to the defendants’ momentary lapse in judgment is a great pain to our society,” Presiding Judge Ji Gwi-yeon said.
Ji added, however, that there was no evidence that Yoon meticulously planned in advance to decree martial law, and that there appeared to have been an effort to minimise the use of lethal force that night. The court said it also considered Yoon’s lifelong career in public service as a prosecutor, and that he is 65 years old.
Experts said the court’s decision to spare Yoon the death penalty reflected judicial restraint, and it would help avoid fracturing an already polarised nation still reeling from the fallout of the martial law decree. This week, the political divisions were on stark display at rallies near the court complex; Yoon’s supporters staged a protest demanding his acquittal, while his critics demanded accountability.
Inside, Yoon and his co-defendants stood in silence as Ji read the verdict. Outside, the duelling rallies erupted in screams as Ji imposed Yoon’s fate. The ex-President’s critics shook their fists triumphantly at the large screen live-streaming the court proceedings, while supporters – holding “Not Guilty” signs – looked stunned, some with their hands over their mouths and others cursing.
The verdict marked a pivotal moment in South Korea’s young democratic history, which dates to 1987 after an uprising toppled a brutal military-led government under Chun Doo-hwan. Chun was sentenced to death in 1996 after being convicted on similar insurrection charges for seizing power during a coup in 1979. On appeal, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and he was later pardoned.
Yoon’s conviction upheld the rule of law and reaffirmed the nation’s democratic system and principles, democracy advocates and experts said.
“The conviction of an ex-President demonstrates that no one is above the law,” said Andrew Yeo, a senior fellow at Brookings Institution’s Center for Asia Policy Studies in Washington, adding: “The conviction of Yoon through the judicial process reflects South Korea’s democratic resilience.”
While the court denied prosecutors’ request for the death penalty, the life sentence signalled an effort by the judges to balance democratic moderation against the severity of Yoon’s constitutional violations, said Hannah Kim, a political scientist at Sogang University in Seoul.
“South Korea’s democracy is capable not only of punishing constitutional violations, but of doing so in a way that reinforces institutional stability rather than escalating political rupture,” Kim said.
A death sentence, in any case, probably would have been more symbolic than practical, as South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997 and is widely regarded as a country where capital punishment is effectively banned.
Two top aides to Yoon have been convicted on charges related to the martial law decree. Former prime minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced last month to 23 years in prison for his role. Han is appealing the ruling. And former interior minister Lee Sang-min was sentenced last week to seven years in prison. He is also appealing, according to national media reports.
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