Former South Korean President Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Insurrection

A court on Feb. 19 found former South Korean President Yoon Sook Yeol guilty on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating an insurrection in relation to his failed attempt at imposing martial law in December 2024.

Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon, 65, to life imprisonment. He is likely to stay at the Seoul Detention Center, the prison where he has been detained.

The crime of insurrection carries a maximum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, a sentence that has not been carried out in South Korea since 1997, following the introduction of a moratorium on capital punishment in 1998.