A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of illegally ordering military drone incursions into North Korea in a case that prosecutors said was part of a broader effort to justify the imposition of martial law.
The Seoul Central District Court convicted Yoon on charges including abuse of power and aiding the enemy, ruling that the former president had authorised drone operations across the heavily fortified border in an attempt to heighten tensions with Pyongyang.
Prosecutors argued that Yoon deliberately sought to manufacture a sense of national security crisis by creating what they described as artificial wartime conditions. According to the prosecution, the objective was to generate public and political support for a declaration of martial law, which was ultimately imposed in 2024 but quickly collapsed amid widespread opposition.
The latest sentence will run alongside a life sentence handed down in February 2026, when Yoon was convicted of leading an insurrection in connection with the failed martial law declaration.
Yoon’s dramatic fall from power culminated in his impeachment and removal from office, triggering a snap presidential election that was won by current President Lee Jae Myung.
