Anchor: Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison after a Seoul court defined his martial law decree in 2024 as an act of insurrection and convicted him of being an active ringleader. Tagged with his inmate number 3617 on the left side of his dark navy suit, the ousted former commander in chief stood with little expression as he listened to his verdict.
Our Koo Heejin has the details.

Report: (Soundbite: Chief Judge Ji Gui-yeon reading the verdict in Korean)

A Seoul court on Thursday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment after being convicted of leading an insurrection tied to the December 3, 2024, declaration of martial law.

Wearing a dark navy suit, with his inmate number 3617 attached to his left breast pocket, Yoon listened with little expression as Ji Gui-yeon, the chief judge in his trial, read out the verdict at the Seoul Central District Court.

Ji said during the hearing, which was broadcast live on national television, that Yoon actively led the insurrection, and had deployed troops to the National Assembly, seeking to impede and paralyze its functions.

[Soundbite: Chief Judge Ji Gui-yeon, the Seoul Central District Court (Korean-English)
“[If the actions] aim to exercise power that is not warranted by a declaration of martial law, specifically seeking to impede or paralyze for a certain period the function of an institution set up by the Constitution, it can be construed as intending to subvert the Constitution to exercise unwarranted authority. Thus, this court concludes that such actions constitute a violation of Clause 2 of Article 91 of the criminal law, regarding the subversion of the Constitution, thus can be defined as an insurrection.”

The second clause of Article 91 of the Criminal Law specifies subversion of the Constitution as an action “to overthrow government organs established by the Constitution or to make render the exercise of their functions impossible by force.”

Yoon was indicted in January last year on charges of leading an insurrection through his six-hour imposition of martial law.

A prosecution team led by Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk, in charge of investigating and prosecuting Yoon on charges of insurrection, had initially sought the death penalty for Yoon.

Yoon was accused of mobilizing troops and the police to seal off the National Assembly, thereby preventing lawmakers from voting down his decree, and ordering the arrest of the National Assembly speaker and the then leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties.

The court found Yoon guilty of conspiring with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and others to stage a riot aimed at subverting the Constitution and illegally declaring martial law in the absence of war or an equivalent national emergency.

The court on Thursday also handed down sentences to seven other defendants, including former Defense Minister Kim, who received a 30-year prison sentence; former Intelligence Command Chief Noh Sang-won, who received 18 years, 12 years for former National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho and 10 years for former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Kim Bong-sik.

Still, the court gave “not guilty” verdicts for former Defense Ministry Investigation Headquarters Investigation Team Chief Kim Yong-gun and National Police Agency National Office of Investigation Investigation Planning Coordinator Yoon Seung-young, citing a lack of evidence.

Yoon’s lawyers told reporters that the ruling was a foregone conclusion, claiming that the trial was riddled with lies and deceit. They said they needed to consult with Yoon about whether to appeal.

This is the second of eight criminal trials that Yoon is currently involved in.

Last month, Yoon was handed a five-year prison term for obstructing arrest and abuse of power in relation to his actions in January 2025, when he mobilized security personnel to block law enforcement from detaining him. His legal team immediately filed an appeal.
Koo Heejin, KBS World Radio News