Former South Korean President Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

The Central District Court of Seoul has sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to five years in prison. The charges relate to the imposition of martial law in December 2024 and obstruction of arrest, according to Yonhap news agency.

This decision marks the first judicial action against the former leader of the country. According to the Korea Herald, the prosecution sought a harsher penalty — ten years, of which five years were for resisting arrest, two years for the subsequent review of the martial law decree, and three years for violating the rights of cabinet members, spreading false information in foreign media, and destroying evidence.

In early January last year, the Anti-Corruption Agency attempted to arrest Yoon Suk-yeol after he ignored three summons for questioning in a treason case. The court issued a warrant for his arrest and search, but after several hours of standoff with the president's security, investigators decided to postpone the arrest.