On Friday, South Korean prosecutors called for a 30-year prison sentence for the ex-President, Yoon Suk Yeol. He faces allegations of intentionally heightening tensions with North Korea back in 2024 by ordering drone operations over Pyongyang. This move was allegedly part of a strategy to establish conditions for enacting martial law domestically.
Yoon is accused of aiding an adversary and abusing his presidential powers. These charges are part of a broader array of indictments related to his brief enforcement of martial law in South Korea that December.
The prosecution’s request was made during the final stages of Yoon’s trial at the Seoul Central District Court. Special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk and her team argue that Yoon, along with his senior defense officials, orchestrated drone intrusions into North Korea. These actions reportedly occurred roughly two months before Yoon declared martial law, while attempting to label the liberal opposition as North Korea-sympathizing “anti-state” elements.
Yoon’s legal team, who have consistently denied these claims, did not immediately respond to the prosecution’s proposed prison term.
Back in February, Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment after a court found him guilty of the more severe charge of rebellion. Both Yoon and the prosecutors, who initially sought the death penalty, have appealed this verdict.
On Friday, Cho’s team issued a statement alleging that Yoon aimed to provoke a conflict between the Koreas to justify an authoritarian takeover. The goal, they claim, was to eliminate political rivals and consolidate his power.
Prosecutors are seeking a 25-year prison term for Yoon’s former defense minister, Kim Yong Hyun, a key confidant who helped plan and mobilize forces for the martial law declaration.
North Korea accused Seoul of flying drones over its capital, Pyongyang, to drop propaganda leaflets three times in October 2024. Kim initially made a vague denial, but Seoul’s Defense Ministry later switched to saying it couldn’t confirm whether or not the claims were true. Tensions with North Korea rose sharply at the time.
Yoon proceeded with his late night martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, delivering a televised address in which he blasted liberals over a range of issues, but largely over their impeachments of his top officials and cuts to his government’s budget bill.
The decree lasted about six hours until a quorum of lawmakers broke through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers and police Yoon had deployed to the National Assembly. They then voted to overturn it, forcing his Cabinet to lift the measure.
Yoon was suspended from office on Dec. 14, 2024, after being impeached by the liberal-led legislature and was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He was arrested in July that year and has been undergoing various criminal trials since.
Though brief, Yoon’s martial law decree threw the country into a severe political crisis, paralyzing politics and high-level diplomacy and rattling financial markets. The turmoil eased only after his liberal rival Lee Jae Myung won an early presidential election in June last year.
Shortly after taking office, Lee approved legislation that launched independent investigations into Yoon’s martial law stunt and other criminal allegations involving him, his wife and associates.
