In a dramatic development within South Korea’s political landscape, former President Yoon Suk Yeol has issued his first response to receiving a life imprisonment sentence for rebellion, maintaining an uncompromising stance despite the severe judicial ruling. The Seoul Central District Court delivered the verdict on Thursday, finding Yoon guilty of orchestrating an attempted coup through his unauthorized declaration of martial law in December 2024.
Through legal representatives, the deposed leader asserted that his controversial imposition of emergency measures was enacted ‘exclusively for national interests and public welfare,’ while simultaneously dismissing the judicial proceedings as fundamentally biased against him. The court documented Yoon’s persistent non-cooperation throughout the investigation, including his refusal to attend multiple court hearings and his weeks-long barricade within the presidential residence following his arrest last July.
Presiding Judge Jee Kui-youn emphasized in the ruling that Yoon demonstrated ‘complete absence of remorse for the substantial societal damages caused by the emergency martial law declaration’ and noted his ‘unjustified avoidance of court appearances’ on several occasions. The judicial finding concluded that Yoon had mobilized military and police forces in an unlawful attempt to seize legislative control, apprehend political adversaries, and establish indefinite authoritarian governance.
Conservative supporters expressed outrage at the courthouse steps, while liberal opponents celebrated the verdict nearby, with both factions separated by substantial police presence. Despite his defiant rhetoric questioning the judiciary’s independence, Yoon retains the right to appeal within seven days, though his statement suggested skepticism about continuing legal battles.
The brief six-hour martial law period in December 2024 triggered South Korea’s most severe political crisis in decades, culminating in Yoon’s presidential suspension that same month, formal removal by the Constitutional Court in April 2025, and subsequent early elections that brought current President Lee Jae Myung to power. Five former military and police officials received substantial prison sentences for their roles in enforcing the martial law decree, including ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.