A South Korean high court in Seoul sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison on 16 January 2026 for obstructing justice and excluding cabinet members during his 2024 martial law declaration. The court found that Yoon had defied attempts to detain him and fabricated the martial law proclamation. He was also convicted for bypassing a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting, which deprived some members of the right to deliberate on the decree. The ruling was the first verdict from eight criminal trials related to the martial law incident that led to his impeachment, arrest, and removal from office.
Yoon was acquitted of document forgery. The judge, Baek Dae-hyun, stated that a heavy punishment was necessary due to Yoon’s lack of remorse and his repeated assertions of justification that were deemed difficult to comprehend. The court emphasized the need to restore legal systems damaged by Yoon’s actions. His defence team announced plans to appeal, alleging the ruling was politicized and based on the independent counsel’s unilateral arguments.
The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to rule on a separate charge of rebellion, which could result in a death sentence, on 19 February 2026. Legal experts suggest that a death penalty is unlikely, given South Korea’s de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and the absence of casualties or prolonged duration in Yoon’s decree. Yoon may face additional prison terms in other ongoing trials. The country has a history of pardoning former presidents, including Chun Doo-hwan, who was sentenced to death for crimes related to a 1979 coup and subsequent crackdowns.