The former president was found guilty of leading an insurrection and sentenced to life imprisonment with labour, a punishment that some have called a ‘failure’
On Thursday, former president Yoon Suk Yeol was found guilty of leading an insurrection and sentenced to life imprisonment with labour over his failed martial law declaration in December 2024.
When he received his sentence, hundreds of his opponents cheered outside the court. But the mood quickly shifted to disappointment and anger.
So what is happening in South Korea and why are so many people unhappy?
Although life imprisonment and the death penalty are in effect the same in a country that has not executed anyone since 1997, many South Koreans see Yoon’s sentence as dangerously lenient.
