A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison after finding him guilty of blocking authorities from arresting him following his failed martial law declaration in late 2024. The ruling marks the first criminal conviction related to Yoon’s attempt to impose emergency rule, an episode that led to his impeachment and removal from office.
The Seoul Central District Court determined that Yoon illegally directed the presidential security service to prevent investigators from carrying out a court-issued arrest warrant. The warrant had been issued during a probe into his martial law declaration, which sought to override the legislative opposition to his administration.
Alongside obstructing the arrest, Yoon was convicted of creating false official documents and neglecting required legal steps when declaring martial law. Prosecutors detailed that, in January last year, Yoon ordered security forces to confine himself within his residence and resist attempts by authorities to take him into custody. The standoff ultimately ended when over 3,000 police officers intervened in a second raid that led to his arrest—the first of a sitting president in South Korean history.
Investigators have charged Yoon with multiple offenses, alleging that his martial law decree in December 2024 was intended to strengthen his control over government in the face of opposition from a parliament led by liberal parties. While Yoon maintained that he never intended long-term military rule and that his actions aimed to inform the public about the ongoing obstruction in the parliament, prosecutors charged him with rebellion, abuse of power, and other crimes.
Yoon faced possible sentences of up to 10 years for obstructing his arrest, with a potential death penalty in a separate trial where he is accused of planning an insurrection. His declaration of martial law lasted about six hours but provoked widespread protests across the country. The Constitutional Court removed Yoon from office in April of the following year, concluding that he breached presidential duties.
