A Seoul court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison for his involvement in sending military drones into North Korea as a pretext for declaring a state of emergency. Yoon is seen here at a September 2025 hearing, File Pool Photo by Yonhap/EPA
SEOUL, June 12 (UPI) -- A Seoul court sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday after finding him guilty of ordering military drones to infiltrate North Korea in a bid to provoke tensions ahead of his short-lived martial law declaration in December 2024.
The verdict by the Seoul Central District Court matched the sentencing recommendation sought by special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk's team on charges including aiding an enemy state and abusing his authority by using the military to advance his political aims.
North Korea accused Seoul in October 2024 of flying drones carrying propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang on three occasions, calling the incursions a "serious provocation." South Korea's military at the time said it could neither confirm nor deny the allegations.
The court found that Yoon and other senior officials orchestrated the drone operation in order to use an anticipated increase in cross-border tensions as a pretext for his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.
