South Korean Court Convicts Ex-President Yoon of Insurrection; Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty

A South Korean court has found former President Yoon Suk Yeol guilty of masterminding an insurrection over his failed attempt to impose military rule in December 2024, marking a dramatic chapter in the country’s political history.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against the embattled former leader, describing his actions as a grave assault on constitutional order.

However, although capital punishment remains on South Korea’s statute books, the country has not carried out an execution in decades, meaning a death sentence would effectively translate into life imprisonment.

Yoon’s controversial order, which sought to introduce martial law, lasted just six hours before it collapsed amid widespread resistance and institutional pushback.

Despite its brief duration, the move sent shockwaves across the nation, paralysing what remained of government operations and plunging the country into political turmoil.
The fallout proved politically devastating.

The crisis significantly eroded public trust and contributed to his party’s defeat in the subsequent general election.

The case has also deepened political divisions within the country. On the day of the verdict, crowds of Yoon’s supporters gathered outside the courthouse to protest the ruling, underscoring the enduring polarisation sparked by the episode.

Yoon is already serving a prison term following earlier convictions related to the aborted martial law declaration. He is expected to face two additional trials in connection with the same sequence of events.

The ruling represents one of the most consequential legal judgments against a former head of state in South Korea’s democratic era and is likely to have lasting implications for the nation’s political landscape.