SEOUL: A South Korean court sentenced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison on Thursday after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection with his martial law declaration in 2024. Yoon abruptly declared martial law in a televised address in December 2024, saying drastic measures were needed to root out “anti-state forces” in South Korea’s National Assembly. The 65-year-old hardline conservative was later impeached, arrested and charged with a litany of crimes ranging from insurrection to obstruction of justice.

South Korean court finds former President Yoon Suk Yeol guilty over declaration of martial law in December 2024.

His short-lived martial law declaration in December 2024 threw the country into months of turmoil.