A South Korean court has sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of charges linked to a military drone operation allegedly carried out before his failed martial law declaration in December 2024.
According to reports from South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on Friday that Yoon was guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy in connection with drones sent over Pyongyang in October 2024.
The court reportedly concluded that Yoon had been involved in planning the drone incursion from the beginning and that the operation was intended to help create conditions that could justify the subsequent declaration of martial law.
Yoon has consistently denied any wrongdoing. His legal team argued that he neither ordered nor approved the drone mission and maintained that the operation was unrelated to the martial law crisis.
His lawyers contended that the drone flights were instead part of a response to repeated actions by North Korea, which had allegedly launched balloons carrying rubbish across the border into South Korean territory for months.
Prosecutors had sought a 30-year prison sentence for the former leader during proceedings in April.
The latest ruling adds to a growing list of legal setbacks for Yoon, a former prosecutor-general who once held the country’s highest office. His controversial martial law declaration triggered one of South Korea’s most serious political crises in decades and led to widespread public and political backlash.
Earlier this year, Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of leading an insurrection related to the martial law attempt.
He was subsequently removed from office after South Korea’s Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, paving the way for a snap presidential election.
The election was later won by Lee Jae Myung, marking a significant political shift in the country.
Yoon remains in custody and retains the right to appeal Friday’s verdict. The case is expected to continue attracting intense public and political attention as legal proceedings move forward.
The ruling represents another dramatic chapter in South Korea’s political history, where former presidents have frequently faced criminal investigations and prosecution after leaving office.
