Just in: Ex-South Korea President Yoon jailed for life

A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced former President, Yoon Suk Yeol, to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of insurrection.

The court held that his declaration of martial law in December 2024 was aimed at paralysing the country’s National Assembly.

Yoon had announced the martial law in a televised address, saying the drastic measure was necessary to root out what he described as “anti-state forces”.

Presiding judge, Ji Gwi-yeon, told the Seoul Central District Court that the former president deployed troops to the National Assembly in a bid to silence political opponents.

“The Court finds that the intention was to paralyse the assembly for a considerable period,” the judge said.

He added that the declaration of martial law resulted in enormous social costs and that there was no indication the former leader had shown remorse for his actions.

“We sentence Yoon to life imprisonment,” the judge ruled.