Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstructing justice and related crimes connected to his controversial martial law declaration and the turmoil that followed.
The ruling, delivered by Judge Baek Dae-hyun at Seoul’s Central District Court, is the first of several expected verdicts against Yoon, whose brief suspension of civilian rule on December 3, 2024 sparked mass protests and a parliamentary showdown.
The court found Yoon guilty of obstructing investigators from detaining him and of excluding cabinet members from a martial law planning meeting. Judge Baek said: “Despite having a duty, above all others, to uphold the Constitution and observe the rule of law as president, the defendant displayed an attitude that disregarded the Constitution. The defendant’s culpability is extremely grave.”
Yoon was acquitted of forging official documents due to lack of evidence. He has seven days to appeal the verdict. Prosecutors had sought a 10-year prison sentence, while Yoon maintained that he had broken no law.
Yoon remains defiant
The sentence comes amid a separate case in which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, accusing Yoon of being the “ringleader of an insurrection” for orchestrating martial law. Prosecutors argued that Yoon showed “no remorse” for actions that threatened South Korea’s constitutional order and democracy.
If convicted, the death sentence is unlikely to be carried out, as South Korea has maintained an unofficial moratorium on executions since 1997.
Yoon was seen smiling in court as prosecutors demanded the punishment. He has consistently defended his actions, insisting that the martial law declaration was a lawful exercise of presidential emergency powers.
In closing remarks earlier this week, Yoon said: “The exercise of a president’s constitutional emergency powers to protect the nation and uphold the constitutional order cannot be deemed an act of insurrection. The then-opposition party imposed an unconstitutional dictatorship through their control of the legislature. There was no other option but to awaken the people, who are the sovereign.”
The court is scheduled to rule on the insurrection charges on February 19. Yoon also faces a separate trial on charges of aiding the enemy, relating to allegations that he ordered drone flights over North Korea to justify his martial law declaration.
AFP
