SEOUL – Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol received a 30-year prison sentence Friday after a court convicted him on charges related to military drone flights over North Korea that allegedly helped lay the groundwork for his unsuccessful martial law declaration in December 2024, according to Yonhap news agency.
The Seoul Central District Court convicted Yoon on charges of abuse of power and aiding the enemy, determining he was involved in planning the October 2024 drone operation from the beginning, the news agency reported.
Yoon maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. His legal team argued he neither commanded nor gave subsequent approval for the drone mission, claiming it was unconnected to martial law efforts and was actually a reaction to ongoing North Korean balloon launches carrying debris across the border.
Back in April, prosecutors had requested the 30-year sentence that the court ultimately imposed.
This latest conviction represents another legal blow for the disgraced former conservative leader, who previously served as South Korea’s chief prosecutor before his presidency led one of Asia’s major economies into severe political chaos.
Earlier this year in February, another South Korean court handed Yoon a life sentence after convicting him of orchestrating an insurrection connected to his martial law effort.
The Constitutional Court removed him from the presidency last year by confirming his impeachment, which led to an emergency election won by liberal President Lee Jae Myung.
Currently behind bars, Yoon has the option to challenge Friday’s lower court decision through an appeal.
