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3d ago

Yoon Gets Life for Insurrection as Appeals and Street Protests Gather Pace

The court cited scant proof of long‑term plotting in declining to impose the death penalty.

Protesters hold placards during a candlelight vigil to condemn South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise declarations of the failed martial law and to call for his resignation in Seoul, South Korea, on December 5, 2024.
A blue bus believed to be transporting South Korea's impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, on February 19, 2026.

Overview

  • Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment with hard labor for deploying troops and police toward the National Assembly on Dec. 3, 2024, finding his actions met the legal threshold for insurrection.
  • The ruling excluded the so‑called Noh Sang‑won notes as inadmissible and rejected prosecutors’ claim of a yearlong plan to establish a dictatorship, noting limited preparation and restrained use of force.
  • Appeals are expected from both Yoon and the special counsel, with newly created Seoul High Court divisions for insurrection cases opening Feb. 23 and a Supreme Court decision projected by September under accelerated timelines.
  • Co‑defendants received heavy terms — including 30 years for former Defense Minister Kim Yong‑hyun, 18 for ex‑DIC chief Noh Sang‑won, and 12 for former police chief Cho Ji‑ho — and key figures have already filed appeals.
  • Conservative and progressive groups mounted competing protests across Seoul following the verdict as police deployed large units, while a parliamentary subcommittee advanced a bill to bar pardons for insurrection.