South Korea’s Supreme Court Upholds Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Seven-Year Prison Sentence

South Korea’s Supreme Court has upheld the seven-year prison sentence handed to former President Yoon Suk Yeol over crimes linked to his failed declaration of martial law in 2024.

The ruling, delivered on Thursday, confirmed the decisions of lower courts, making the conviction final. Yoon was found guilty of obstructing Cabinet deliberations before declaring martial law, forging the prime minister’s signature on an official decree, issuing misleading information to foreign media, and ordering the destruction of military records.

Prosecutors had requested a 10-year prison sentence, but an appeals court increased Yoon’s punishment from five years to seven years after adding another conviction related to the dissemination of false information.

The former president remains in detention while separately appealing a life sentence for leading an insurrection through his controversial martial law declaration.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Yoon’s legal team expressed disappointment, arguing that the case was concluded without sufficient consideration. They announced plans to challenge the verdict through constitutional legal procedures.

Yoon’s declaration of martial law in December 2024 triggered a major political crisis in South Korea. The measure lasted only about six hours before lawmakers voted to overturn it during an emergency parliamentary session. The move sparked nationwide protests, rattled financial markets, and drew concern from South Korea’s international allies.

In another separate case, Yoon was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of sending drones into North Korea in an alleged attempt to create a security crisis ahead of his martial law declaration.

Yoon has consistently defended his actions, insisting they were taken in the national interest to counter what he described as anti-state forces and security threats from North Korea.

He was removed from office in April 2025, paving the way for elections that brought opposition leader Lee Jae Myung to power as South Korea’s new president.

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