A Seoul court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison for abuse of power and aiding the enemy linked to military drones sent over Pyongyang, the court and Yonhap report.
A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison for charges tied to military drones sent over Pyongyang that the court said were intended to help justify his failed December 2024 martial law declaration, Yonhap News Agency reported. The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy, concluding he conspired in the October 2024 drone incursion from the outset.
Yoon, who has denied wrongdoing, remains in custody and can appeal the lower court’s ruling. His lawyers said he neither ordered nor later approved the drone operation, arguing the flights were unrelated to martial law and were a response to months of North Korean launches of balloons filled with trash across the border. Prosecutors had sought a 30-year sentence in April.
The sentence adds to multiple convictions against the ousted conservative leader, a former top prosecutor whose attempted imposition of martial law triggered major political upheaval. In February, another South Korean court sentenced Yoon to life in prison for leading an insurrection connected to the martial law attempt. Yoon was removed from office last year after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, leading to a snap election that brought liberal President Lee Jae-myung to power.
The case marks a significant moment in South Korea’s recent political history, underscoring deep divisions over Yoon’s tenure, national security policy and the rule of law. Observers say appeals and further legal proceedings are likely as Yoon challenges the convictions.
