Overview
- The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon Suk Yeol guilty of obstructing his arrest and abusing his office in actions tied to his December 2024 martial law declaration.
- Judge Baek Dae Hyun said Yoon misused the Presidential Security Service to block investigators and sidelined cabinet members, calling his conduct extremely grave.
- Prosecutors sought a 10-year term, but the court imposed five years; Yoon has seven days to appeal and his defense has indicated it will do so.
- This marks the first ruling in a series of criminal cases against the former president stemming from the 2024–25 constitutional crisis.
- In a separate case over the martial law episode, prosecutors have requested capital punishment, with a verdict due February 19, though executions have been under a de facto moratorium since the late 1990s.