Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Sentenced to 30 Years

A Seoul court sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on June 12, finding him guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy. The charges stemmed from his alleged order for a military drone incursion into North Korea in October 2024, which prosecutors argued was intended to escalate cross-border tensions and provide a pretext for imposing martial law in December 2024.

The Central District Court of Seoul concluded that Yoon was involved in the drone incursion plot from its inception. Yoon has denied all wrongdoing, with his legal team asserting that he neither ordered nor approved the operation. They argued the incident was a response to North Korea's months-long campaign of sending trash-filled balloons across the border, rather than related to martial law.

Prosecutors had previously sought a 30-year sentence for Yoon in April. This latest verdict continues a series of legal setbacks for the former president, whose martial law order had plunged South Korea into its most severe political crisis in decades. Yoon, a former top prosecutor, faces multiple legal challenges.

In February, another South Korean court handed Yoon a life sentence after concluding he led a rebellion related to his efforts to impose martial law. He has appealed that ruling. Yoon was impeached last year after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, leading to a snap election in which Lee Jae Myung emerged victorious. Yoon, who is currently detained and facing numerous trials, retains the right to appeal the June 12 verdict.