The former president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges relating to his failed martial law declaration.
Yoon was found guilty on Friday of mobilising the presidential security service to block authorities from executing an arrest warrant to investigate him over his imposition of martial law.
The Seoul Central District Court also found Yoon guilty of fabricating official documents and failing to follow the legal process required for martial law, which must be discussed at a formal cabinet meeting.
The ruling is the first in relation to criminal charges Yoon faces over his bid to impose martial law on 3 December 2024, which was reversed after six hours and saw him dismissed as president.
“The defendant abused his enormous influence as president to prevent the execution of legitimate warrants through officials from the Security Service, which effectively privatised officials … loyal to the Republic of Korea for personal safety and personal gain,” the lead judge on the three-justice panel said.
The judges also noted that Yoon had not shown remorse for his actions.
Yoon has argued it was within his power as president to declare martial law and claimed the decision was a response to the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda.
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He also said he had not intended to place the Asian democracy under martial law for an extended period.
His lawyer, Yoo Jung-hwa, said the former president would appeal the ruling.
“We express regret that the decision was made in a politicised manner,” she said.
Yoon could have faced up to a decade in prison over the obstruction charges stemming from his decision to barricade himself inside his residential compound in January last year and ordering the security service to block investigators.
He was later arrested in an operation involving more than 3,000 police officers.
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Yoon’s arrest marks the first ever for a sitting president in South Korea.
The martial law decree was overturned by parliament within hours, through a vote which was supported by some members of Yoon’s conservative party.
The martial law decree triggered widespread protests calling for Yoon’s ousting.
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Yoon was impeached over the incident later in December, and he was removed from office by South Korea’s Constitutional Court in April.
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Prosecutors have asked the court in a separate trial against Yoon to impose the death penalty for orchestrating an insurrection, arguing that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion.
On Friday, Yoon, a former prosecutor, listened intently as the judge delivered the ruling, looking noticeably slimmer than when he first came under investigation a year ago and his hair streaked with grey.
