The court says the former leader used military assets to provoke tensions with Pyongyang and create a pretext for his short-lived martial law declaration.
The court says the former leader used military assets to provoke tensions with Pyongyang and create a pretext for his short-lived martial law declaration. Former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s late-night announcement of martial law in December 2024 plunged South Korea into political turmoil.
/ Photo: AFP A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former president Yoon Suk-yeol to 30 years in prison after finding that he ordered military drone flights into North Korea as part of a plan to manufacture a national security crisis ahead of his controversial martial law declaration in 2024. The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon intended to provoke a response from Pyongyang and heighten inter-Korean tensions in an effort to justify suspending civilian rule.
Judges said the drone operation was designed to trigger armed or comparable actions from North Korea, creating conditions that could be used to support the declaration of martial law. According to the ruling, Yoon improperly used South Korea’s military capabilities for personal political objectives rather than national security needs. The court said presidential powers, including command of the armed forces and the authority to declare martial law, must be exercised to protect the nation, not to advance political interests.
Major quake off Philippines kills at least 31, around a dozen still missingChina, North Korea agree to boost ties during Pyongyang summitNorth Korea says nuclear programme 'absolutely non-negotiable' ahead of visit by China's XiYoon has denied wrongdoing, insisting that his martial law declaration was made “for the sake of the nation. ” His legal team also argued that the drone flights were a response to North Korean balloons carrying trash across the border.
The sentence comes as Yoon remains in detention while appealing a separate life sentence for leading what prosecutors described as an insurrection through his December 2024 martial law declaration. Yoon's late-night announcement of martial law in December 2024 plunged South Korea into political turmoil, triggering mass protests and rattling financial markets before lawmakers overturned the measure within hours. The crisis ultimately led to his removal from office and the election of President Lee Jae-myung after months of political instability.
Drone operations remain a sensitive issue on the Korean Peninsula, where North and South Korea remain technically at war and military tensions continue to simmer. Major quake off Philippines kills at least 31, around a dozen still missingChina, North Korea agree to boost ties during Pyongyang summitNorth Korea says nuclear programme 'absolutely non-negotiable' ahead of visit by China's XiTürkiye warns of 'harshest reaction' following Greek administered Southern Cyprus-France troop dealUK minister condemns anti-immigration violence in Northern Ireland as 'racist thuggery'Scientists discover world's largest whale graveyard off the coast of Australia
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Ousted South Korean President Yoon given prison term for drone flights over PyongyangSouth Korea’s ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and his former defense minister have been sentenced to 30 years in prison in a case alleging Yoon ordered drone flights over Pyongyang to heighten tensions with North Korea and and justify declaring martial law at home.
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South Korea's Ousted Former President Yoon Suk Yeol Sentenced to 30 Years in PrisonSouth Korea's ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his former defense minister were sentenced to 30 years in prison for allegedly ordering drone flights over Pyongyang in 2024 to heighten tensions with North Korea.
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Ousted South Korean President Yoon given prison term for drone flights over PyongyangSouth Korea’s ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and his former defense minister have been sentenced to 30 years in prison in a case alleging Yoon ordered drone flights over Pyongyang to heighten tensions with North Korea and and justify declaring martial law at home.
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Ousted South Korean President Yoon gets 30-year prison term for drone flights over PyongyangYoon had already been sentenced to life in prison for a rebellion conviction over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024.
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