SEOUL, South Korea — Former President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared at Seoul Central District Court on Thursday for a landmark verdict regarding rebellion charges stemming from his unprecedented attempt to impose martial law in December 2024. The ousted conservative leader arrived under heavy police security as both supporters and protesters gathered outside the judicial complex.
The case represents the most severe political crisis in decades for South Korea, triggered when Yoon declared martial law and deployed military forces to surround the National Assembly on December 3, 2024. Special prosecutors have pursued capital punishment for the former president, arguing his actions constituted a grave threat to the nation’s democratic foundations.
Legal experts anticipate a life imprisonment sentence rather than execution, noting that Yoon’s poorly executed power grab resulted in no casualties. South Korea maintains an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment, with no executions carried out since 1997.
Presiding Judge Jee Kui-youn will also deliver rulings for seven former military and police officials accused of enforcing Yoon’s martial law decree, including ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun.
Yoon has maintained that his actions were necessary to counter what he characterized as ‘anti-state’ liberal forces obstructing his governance agenda. The martial law declaration lasted approximately six hours before legislators breached the military blockade and unanimously voted to overturn the measure.
The former president was initially suspended from office on December 14, 2024, following impeachment by lawmakers, and was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has remained in custody since July facing multiple criminal trials.
Last month, Yoon received a five-year prison sentence on separate charges including resisting arrest, fabricating the martial law proclamation, and bypassing mandatory Cabinet procedures. Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo received a 23-year sentence for attempting to legitimize the decree through manipulated Cabinet meetings and falsified records, though he has appealed the verdict.