World

S.Korean court jails Yoon for life in rebellion trial

Feb 19, 2026

Protester calls for the jailing of South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol — Former president Yoon Suk-yeol was jailed but prosecutors had called for the death penalty. -AP

A South Korean court has ordered life in jail for former president Yoon Suk-yeol after holding him guilty on charges of â€Œabuse of authority and masterminding an insurrection, stemming from his 2024 attempt to impose martial law.

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The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty on Thursday of mobilising military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the liberal-led National Assembly, arrest politicians and establish unchecked power for a considerable time.

Yoon, 65, is likely to appeal the verdict.

A special prosecutor had requested the death penalty, saying Yoon deserved the harshest punishment under law for the threat his actions posed to the country's democracy.

Yoon, a staunch conservative, has defended his martial law decree on December 3, 2024, as a necessary act of governance against the liberals, whom he described as "anti-state" forces obstructing his agenda with their legislative majority.

The decree lasted about six hours before being lifted after a quorum of MPs managed to break through a blockade by hundreds of heavily armed troops and police and unanimously voted to lift the measure.

The court also convicted and sentenced several former military and police officials involved in enforcing Yoon's martial law decree, including ex-defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, who received a 30-year jail term for his central role in planning the measure and mobilising the military.

with AP