Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison after a Seoul court found him guilty of leading an insurrection with his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024.

The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday handed down the life sentence in recognition of Yoon's inner objective to paralyze parliament for a considerable amount of time by deploying martial law troops to block off the National Assembly and arrest key political figures.

The court acknowledged that Yoon deployed the military to spark a riot, indicating that his actions coincide with the legal requisites for insurrection under criminal law regarding subversion and riot.

Although a martial law declaration in itself cannot be tantamount to the insurrection offense, the court said an aim to paralyze legal institutions and functions can establish the insurrection offense and that Yoon's martial law decree corresponds to such offense.

In determining the sentence, the court said the former president directly led planning of the criminal acts and had many people participate, adding that his martial law action resulted in an enormous amount of social cost.

It also chastised Yoon for failing apologize for his actions and refusing to attend court hearings without valid reason.

The court, however, also took into account Yoon's lack of thorough planning, circumstances suggesting that he tried to restrict use of physical force as much as possible, and difficulty in verifying troops' possession of live ammunition or actual use of violence.

Additionally, it noted that Yoon had no past criminal record and considered his decades-long public service and old age.

A special counsel team that investigated Yoon over his martial law action had sought the death penalty.

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was indicted for plotting the martial law action alongside Yoon, was sentenced to 30 years for playing a key role in the insurrection.