Ex-South Korean President Yoon jailed for life over 2024 insurrection bid

A South Korean court on Thursday (February 19) sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison over a brief martial law imposition. Yeol was convicted on Thursday of leading an insurrection during his short-lived imposition of martial law in late 2024, a dramatic power grab that plunged the nation into political turmoil and tested its democratic resilience.The Seoul Central District Court handed Yoon, 64, a two-year suspended prison term for insurrection and abuse of power. Prosecutors had demanded 10 years, calling it a coup attempt. Yoon rejected the charges as politically driven.

The crisis began on December 3, 2024, as Yoon was facing impeachment threats over budget fights and probes into his wife declared martial law in a late-night TV address. Troops blocked parliament, but lawmakers voted 190-0 to lift it hours later. Yoon backed down after six hours amid massive Seoul protests.
The bid recalled South Korea’s dark authoritarian era, including 1980’s bloody Gwangju Uprising, the last martial law imposition.Parliament impeached Yoon on December 14, 2024; the constitutional court confirmed it in January 2025, removing him from office. Acting President Han Duck-soo, facing a snap election, called the verdict a “victory for democracy.”

The opposition Democratic Party, which holds parliament, said Yoon aimed to dodge family probes. His conservative backers decried leftist bias against the 2022 leader who pledged anti-corruption drives.

Yoon’s conviction bans him from politics for 10 years. His wife, Kim Keon-hee, faces separate stock manipulation charges. The saga deepens rifts before March’s presidential vote.