Seoul, Jan 16 (EFE).- Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced to five years in prison Friday after being convicted of obstruction of justice in connection with his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024, the first verdict in a series of criminal trials related to the crisis.
A Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of obstructing authorities’ efforts to arrest him and destroying evidence, saying the seriousness of his actions was “very high” and that he showed no remorse, according to court remarks reported by EFE.
The sentence was lighter than the 10 years in prison prosecutors had sought.
In televised proceedings, the court also ruled that Yoon violated ministers’ deliberation rights by failing to notify several cabinet members of a meeting held just before the martial law declaration. Prosecutors said he summoned only loyal ministers to a meeting that lasted less than five minutes.
The judge additionally said Yoon’s declaration of a state of emergency constituted falsification of a public document and that he “militarized” the Presidential Security Service to block the execution of a Jan. 3 arrest warrant.
However, Yoon was acquitted on a charge of ordering the dissemination of false information to foreign media.
Yoon — who imposed martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, claiming it was necessary to protect the people from “anti-state forces” — saw the measure repealed just hours later by Parliament amid massive protests. He was subsequently impeached and removed from office in April 2025, and presidential elections were held in June of that year.
Yoon faces seven other separate trials, including one on charges of insurrection that could carry the death penalty, though experts say execution is unlikely given a de facto moratorium in South Korea since 1997.
In previous court arguments, prosecutors described his actions as intended to “overthrow the constitutional order,” calling them an unprecedented attempt at seizing power, while Yoon has maintained that his decree was aimed at countering political obstruction.
Yoon’s legal team said the prosecution’s request for a 10-year sentence was politically motivated and excessive.
The court set Feb. 19 for the verdict in the separate insurrection case. EFE
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