SEOUL, South Korea — Legal authorities in South Korea have demanded a three-decade prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, claiming he intentionally heightened conflict with North Korea during 2024 through authorized drone missions over Pyongyang to justify implementing martial law domestically.
The ousted conservative leader faces charges of aiding an enemy nation and misusing presidential authority, part of extensive criminal allegations stemming from his brief martial law implementation in South Korea last December.
The sentencing recommendation emerged during final proceedings at Seoul Central District Court, where special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk’s investigative team argued that Yoon and senior military officials orchestrated alleged drone incursions into North Korean territory approximately two months prior to declaring martial law while characterizing liberal opposition as North Korean sympathizers and “anti-state” elements.
Defense attorneys for Yoon, who have consistently rejected these allegations, have not yet responded to the prosecution’s sentencing proposal.
Earlier this year in February, the court imposed a life sentence on Yoon after convicting him on the more severe rebellion charges. Both Yoon’s legal team and prosecutors, who had pursued capital punishment, have appealed that decision.
Cho’s prosecution team stated Friday that Yoon attempted to manufacture a conflict scenario between the two Koreas while orchestrating an authoritarian scheme to eliminate political rivals and “consolidate and prolong his authority.” Legal officials are also pursuing a 25-year sentence for former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, a close ally who assisted in organizing and deploying forces for the martial law announcement.
Pyongyang alleged that Seoul conducted three drone operations over its capital in October 2024, dropping propaganda materials. Kim initially offered an ambiguous denial, though Seoul’s Defense Ministry subsequently stated it could not verify the accuracy of these accusations. Korean Peninsula tensions escalated significantly during this period.
Yoon moved forward with his midnight martial law proclamation on December 3, 2024, broadcasting a televised statement condemning liberals on multiple fronts, particularly regarding their impeachment efforts against his administration officials and reductions to his government’s budget proposal.
The emergency order remained active for approximately six hours until sufficient legislators penetrated a barrier of heavily armed military personnel and law enforcement that Yoon had stationed at the National Assembly. Lawmakers subsequently voted to reverse the declaration, compelling his Cabinet to rescind the directive.
Legislative action suspended Yoon from his position on December 14, 2024, following impeachment by the liberal-controlled parliament, with the Constitutional Court officially removing him in April 2025. Authorities arrested him in July of that year, and he has faced multiple criminal proceedings since then.
Despite its brief duration, Yoon’s martial law order plunged the nation into significant political upheaval, disrupting governmental operations and international relations while destabilizing financial markets. The crisis subsided only after his liberal opponent Lee Jae Myung secured victory in an emergency presidential election last June.
Following his inauguration, Lee endorsed legislation establishing independent inquiries into Yoon’s martial law actions and additional criminal matters involving the former president, his spouse, and their associates.
