At the trial, Yoon was found guilty of attempting to impose martial law, which led to his severe punishment, according to a report by Yonhap.
The sentence for Yoon came after a ruling regarding his former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was convicted last month to 23 years for aiding the attempt to impose martial law and for violations in the process of approving the former president's decree.
This term turned out to be eight years longer than what the prosecutors requested, who sought 15 years.
Han became the first member of Yoon's cabinet to be convicted for actions related to the attempt to impose martial law in 2024. Following him, former Minister of Interior Lee Sang-min was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Yoon Suk-yeol is not the only South Korean leader whose career ended in scandal and compromised his reputation.
Here are a few examples of former presidents whose tenures ended tragically:
- The first head of state, Syngman Rhee, resigned after student protests in 1960 and then fled to Hawaii, where he died in 1965.
- The military dictator Park Chung-hee came to power through a coup in 1961. His rule became increasingly authoritarian, and he was assassinated by his intelligence chief.
- The military leader Chun Doo-hwan came to power in 1980 and is remembered as a dictator. In 1996, he and his successor Roh Tae-woo were convicted of corruption and involvement in the coup but were soon pardoned after two years in prison.
- The human rights activist Roh Moo-hyun was elected in 2002, but after his term faced corruption allegations, leading to his suicide.
- Former Hyundai chief Lee Myung-bak won the election in 2007; however, his successor, the daughter of Park Chung-hee, Park Geun-hye, was impeached and convicted of corruption. Lee was also convicted of bribery, but ultimately both were pardoned.
