Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to five years in prison on obstruction charges – JURIST

The Seoul Central District Court on Friday sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison on several charges, including obstruction of investigators’ attempt to detain him last year. This marks the first criminal sentence imposed as part of Yoon’s December 2024 declaration of martial law.

Friday’s sentencing convicts Yoon on multiple charges, including aggravated obstruction of justice, constitutional violations, and document fabrication. The court found that Yoon mobilized the Presidential Security Service to block investigators from executing a lawful arrest warrant in January 2025. The court also held that Yoon infringed on cabinet members’ constitutional right to deliberate by notifying only select ministers of the emergency meeting, calling it an “unprecedented” action that “directly violated the Constitution.”

The charges stem from a December 2024 incident in which Yoon declared martial law, accusing the opposition party of undermining the South Korean government with a pro-North Korea agenda. Following the declaration, South Korea’s parliament swiftly voted to overturn the order. Following Yoon’s attempted obstruction, he was initially detained in January 2025 and held for 52 days before being released and then detained again in July. Yoon was impeached from office in April 2025, leading to unprecedented constitutional scenarios in the succession of acting presidents.

Friday’s verdict marks the conclusion of Yoon’s first trial related to his martial law declaration. However many serious charges still await him. The former president faces several additional trials, including charges for insurrection. On Tuesday, prosecutors requested capital punishment over the martial law declaration, arguing that Yoon’s actions constituted an anti-state act that undermined national security. There is precedent for this request, as former president Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to death in 1996 over charges of insurrection and treason, although this sentence was later changed to life imprisonment prior to his eventual pardon and release.