South Korean Court Sentences Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol to Life in Prison for Leading Insurrection

Seoul, February 19, 2026
In a historic verdict that marks a defining moment for South Korean democracy, former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment Thursday after being found guilty of leading an insurrection during his declaration of martial law in December 2024.  (CNN)
The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty, with presiding Judge Ji Gwi-yeon stating: “It is recognized that Yoon Suk Yeol acted with the purpose of subverting the Constitution by sending the military to the National Assembly to paralyze or limit its function for a substantial amount of time.”  (MS NOW)
On December 3, 2024, Yoon declared martial law in a late-night televised speech, claiming there were “anti-state forces” within opposition parties sympathetic to North Korea. Armed soldiers descended on parliament by helicopter and attempted to storm the chamber where lawmakers were gathered. Shocked and angry citizens, along with lawmakers and parliament staff, rushed to barricade the entrances and fought to block the soldiers from reaching the chamber, in chaotic scenes broadcast live.  (NPR)
The ruling, delivered by Judge Jee Kui-youn, was lighter than the death penalty prosecutors had sought at the trial’s final hearing in January.  (CNN) The verdict and sentence were broadcast live across the nation, with Yoon’s supporters and critics gathered outside the court amid heightened security. Yoon, 65, had pleaded not guilty to insurrection.  (CBS News)
Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was also found guilty of playing a major role in the insurrection and sentenced to 30 years in prison.  (PBS)
Yoon was first detained in January 2025 after resisting attempts to arrest him in a weeks-long standoff with authorities at his home in Seoul — becoming the first president in South Korean history to be arrested while in office. He was impeached 11 days after declaring martial law and removed from office four months later.  (CBS News)
Since the first hearing in April last year, the court convened 43 times and heard testimony from roughly 160 witnesses over the course of 443 days since the martial law declaration.  (PBS)
Yoon is expected to appeal the verdict.