A South Korean court is set to deliver its verdict on Thursday on whether former President Yoon Suk Yeol orchestrated an insurrection by attempting to impose martial law in December 2024—a case that could result in a death sentence or life imprisonment.
Prosecutors have demanded the maximum penalty, citing Yoon’s actions as a direct threat to the National Assembly, the Election Commission, and the country’s democratic constitutional order. Masterminding an insurrection carries the harshest penalties under South Korean law, although the country has not carried out an execution since 1997.
The trial, being held at Seoul Central District Court, has been marked by heightened security, including police cordons around the courthouse. Charges against Yoon include ordering troops to storm parliament, detaining political opponents, and deploying security forces to control access to opposition facilities. Yoon, 65, has denied all allegations, claiming his martial law declaration was a legitimate exercise of presidential authority intended to alert the public to government obstruction by opposition parties.
Currently detained at Seoul Detention Centre, Yoon is expected to remain in custody regardless of the ruling and may appeal if found guilty. The ousted leader faces multiple ongoing trials, including a separate five-year jail sentence handed down in January related to his December 2024 actions, which he is also appealing.
While the attempted imposition of martial law lasted only six hours before mass street protests and parliamentary rejection, the event sent shockwaves across South Korea, a major U.S. ally and Asia’s fourth-largest economy. President Lee Jae Myung praised citizens for resisting martial law peacefully, noting that their actions could serve as a historical example and even garner a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for the Korean public.
