South Korea court sentences ex-president to 5 years in martial law case

BREAKING, Former President Yoon Suk Yeol found guilty of obstructing justice and other charges linked to declaring martial law in 2024.Published On 16 Jan 2026A court in South Korea has sentenced the country’s former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, to five years in jail after finding him guilty on charges stemming from his declaration of martial law in December 2024.Yoon was found guilty on Friday of charges that include obstructing authorities from executing an arrest warrant related to his martial law declaration, as well as fabricating official documents and failing to comply with the legal process required to impose martial law.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4S Korean firefighters tackle huge blaze in last of Seoul’s ‘shanty towns’list 2 of 4US seizes sixth tanker as Venezuela’s interim leader vows oil sector reformlist 3 of 4UN Security Council holds emergency meeting on deadly protests in Iranlist 4 of 4Trump welcomes Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado in closed-door meetingend of listAt Seoul’s Central District Court on Friday, Judge Baek Dae-hyun said Yoon had failed to uphold the Constitution and rule of law.“Despite having a duty, above all others, to uphold the Constitution and observe the rule of law as president, the defendant instead displayed an attitude that disregarded the… Constitution,” Baek said.“The defendant’s culpability is extremely grave,” he said.Yoon now has seven days to appeal the verdict, the judge added.Speaking outside the court immediately after the ruling, one of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoo Jung-hwa, said the former president would appeal the verdict.“We express regret that the decision was made in a politicised manner,” she said.The court’s ruling is the first related to a range of criminal charges Yoon faces over his botched attempt to impose martial law, which lasted only around six hours but sent shockwaves through South Korean society, which was long considered one of the world’s most stable democracies.Al Jazeera’s Jack Barton, reporting from South Korea’s capital Seoul, said Yoon’s supporters had gathered outside the court on Friday and were chanting to express their unhappiness with the verdict.