Ex-South Korea leader Yoon gets life in prison for insurrection

SEOUL: A South Korean court declared former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law bid in 2024 an insurrection, sentencing the disgraced leader to life in prison on Thursday.

Yoon abruptly declared martial law in a televised address in December 2024, saying drastic measures were needed to root out “anti-state forces”. Although Yoon’s bid to impose military rule lasted just six hours, it triggered widespread panic in a nation seen as a beacon of democracy in Asia.

The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of leading an insurrection, designed to “paralyse” his many critics in the National Assembly.