South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been convicted of leading an insurrection in connection with his controversial declaration of martial law in December 2024, a Seoul court ruled on Thursday.
The Seoul Central District Court found that Yoon was the central figure in the December 3, 2024 crisis that saw troops mobilised and sent to the National Assembly, a move prosecutors said was intended “to prevent and paralyse the National Assembly from functioning properly for a significant amount of time.”
Presiding Judge Ji Gwi‑yeon told the courtroom, “As to defendant Yoon Suk Yeol, the crime of insurrection leadership is established,” affirming that the former president’s actions met the legal definition of insurrection under South Korean law.
The ruling comes in the most serious of the several criminal cases Yoon faces linked to his short‑lived martial law decree, a decision that plunged the country into its deepest constitutional turmoil in decades.
Prosecutors had argued that his move was an “unprecedented and grave act of constitutional destruction” and sought the death penalty, the harshest punishment available for an insurrection conviction.
According to reports, the court found that Yoon mobilised military and police forces to the National Assembly compound in an effort to block lawmakers from voting down his decree and that he intended to disrupt the legislature’s work, though the court stopped short of accepting prosecutors’ broader claims that he sought to establish a long‑term dictatorship.
Yoon, 65, has consistently denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings, maintaining that he acted within his authority as president and that his decision was aimed at safeguarding, not subverting, the government.
His defence has repeatedly asserted that his declaration of martial law was intended “to safeguard freedom and sovereignty, and revive the constitutional order,” and not an act of power consolidation.
The December 3 decree lasted only a few hours before the National Assembly unanimously voted to revoke it following public protests and political backlash.
Yoon was impeached and suspended from office shortly after the crisis, and later removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025.
In a separate trial earlier this year, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison on related charges, including obstruction of justice and abusing his authority in connection with the failed martial law bid.
The latest insurrection verdict marks a defining chapter in South Korea’s political history and may lead to further sentencing decisions as Yoon continues to contest the charges against him.
