The Seoul Central District Court has sentenced former South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol to 30 years in prison, chinadailyasia.com reported.
The sentence is on charges of treason, abuse of power and aiding the enemy. The court found that in October 2024, Yun Suk-yeol intentionally ordered the sending of military drones over the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. His goal was to provoke a military escalation in order to create a pretext for the introduction of martial law.
The prosecution proved that as a result of the destruction of some of the drones in North Korea, the DPRK gained access to classified military information and details about the defense capabilities of South Korea.
The former president's lawyers rejected the charges. They argue that the flights were a legitimate act of self-defense in response to Pyongyang's provocations with garbage balloons sent to the South. The verdict is expected to be appealed.
This 30-year sentence is part of a series of trials against the former head of state. In December 2024, Yoon Suk-yeol made an unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law in the country, which led to mass protests and his impeachment, confirmed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025.
In February 2026, he was already sentenced to life in prison in another case - for organizing an armed rebellion (mob) with the aim of paralyzing parliament. A total of eight court cases are pending against him, including for corruption related to his wife and obstruction of justice.
After his removal from power, early elections were held, won by the current president of the country - Lee Jae-myeon.