Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to 30 years over a drone plot linked to his martial law attempt.
A South Korean court has handed a heavy sentence to former President Yoon Suk Yeol. On Friday, June 12, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
This judgement is all about a secret military drone mission. The court says Yoon sent these drones over Pyongyang to create a fake excuse. He allegedly wanted to use this as a pretext for his failed martial law declaration in December 2024.
The Seoul Central District Court found him guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy. According to the reports, the judges ruled that Yoon was in on the October 2024 drone incursion right from the very start.
Yoon, however, has firmly denied any wrongdoing. His legal team insists he never ordered or approved the drone operation. They argue the flight had nothing to do with martial law.
Instead, his lawyers claim it was simply a military response to North Korea. For months, the North had been sending balloons stuffed with rubbish across the border.
Prosecutors had actually asked for this 30-year sentence back in April. This ruling is just the latest legal blow for Yoon. It is a dramatic fall from grace for a man who was once South Korea's top prosecutor.
His martial law order threw Asia's fourth-largest economy into its deepest political crisis in decades. And this is not his only conviction.
Back in February, a different court gave Yoon a life sentence. That conviction was for leading an insurrection tied to the very same martial law attempt.
Yoon was officially removed from office last year. This happened after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment. His removal triggered a snap election, which was won by the current liberal President, Lee Jae Myung.
Yoon is already sitting in custody. However, this legal fight might not be completely over yet. The former president still has the right to appeal this latest lower court ruling.
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