A court in South Korea convicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday for leading an insurrection during his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024. Prosecutors had requested the death penalty, and the case received significant attention in a country that is deeply divided. This ruling is the most significant yet for Yoon, who triggered a national political crisis and tested the strength of democracy in South Korea. In January, prosecutors stated that Yoon’s "unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law disrupted the functions of the National Assembly and the Election Commission, effectively dismantling the liberal democratic constitutional order." In South Korea, planning an insurrection can lead to a maximum sentence of death or life imprisonment. Although the last death sentence was given in 2016, there have been no executions since 1997. The Seoul Central District Court, where the trial is taking place, had a heavy police presence, with police buses creating a security perimeter around the building. The court will also decide on allegations that Yoon misused his power by ordering troops to invade parliament to arrest his opponents and sending soldiers and police to control access to places like the opposition party headquarters. Yoon, who is 65 years old, has denied the accusations. The conservative former prosecutor argued that he had the authority as president to declare martial law and that his actions were meant to alert the public about the opposition parties obstructing government work.
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