South Korea’s Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison over martial law charges
The ruling comes days after prosecutors in a separate case demanded Yoon Suk-yeol be sentenced to death for masterminding insurrection
Friday’s ruling centred on charges that Yoon resisted arrest, bypassed cabinet procedures when declaring martial law and falsified official documents related to the order. The Seoul Central District Court found him guilty on all counts.
“Despite the gravity of the crimes, the defendant has shown no remorse and has consistently offered explanations that are difficult to accept,” Judge Baek Dae-hyun said.
“As president, Yoon had a greater obligation than anyone else to uphold the constitution, yet he disregarded safeguards designed to prevent presidential arbitrariness.”
Baek said Yoon’s conduct warranted “severe condemnation”, adding: “There is a need to restore the rule of law that has been damaged, and severe punishment is necessary.”