Yoon Suk-yeol, the South Korean former president who tried to commit a coup in his country in December 2024, received his first sentence on Friday: a special prosecutor is demanding ten years in prison. That reports local news agency Yonhap. It is the first sentence in a series of four different cases against Yoon for his role in the coup attempt. In other cases he faces life in prison or even the death penalty.
On November 3, 2025, around 11 p.m., Yoon unexpectedly declared a military emergency in South Korea. The free press was restricted, political meetings banned, and the opposition – with a majority in parliament – was sidelined.
According to Yoon, who was president at the time but suffered from low popularity ratings and was embroiled in scandals, this was necessary because South Korea was threatened by “pro-North Korean and anti-state forces”, although he did not immediately clarify what he meant by that. After the South Korean streets quickly filled with demonstrators, parliament managed to lift the state of emergency. Later, Yoon said his act was only “symbolic.”
Lifelong
Yoon could receive life in prison or even the death penalty for leading a (violent) uprising, but the sentence in that case will follow later. This week’s case revolved around Yoon’s attempts to obstruct justice. For example, after the coup attempt, he holed up in his official residence for a long time and managed to keep investigating officers out with the help of the presidential security service.
He also sent out false press releases and deleted telephone conversations surrounding the coup. According to the prosecutor, Yoon has committed a “gross crime” by “privatizing” state institutions.
Yoon does not regret his actions, as became clear during the hearings, writes Yonhap. According to him, declaring a state of emergency remains legitimate. The court will make a judgment this January 16. A verdict in the case surrounding leading an uprising will probably follow in February.
Yoon was officially removed from office in April this year. Former opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was elected president in June.
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