A South Korean court today sentenced former President Yun Suk-yeol to life in prison after finding him guilty of abuse of power and sedition charges stemming from his attempt to impose a state of emergency (martial law) in December 2024, Reuters reports.
Prosecutors have sought the death penalty in the closely watched case in the deeply divided country, the most significant trial yet against the ousted leader, whose move has sparked a national political crisis and tested the resilience of democracy.
In January, prosecutors said June's "unconstitutional and illegal state of emergency" had undermined the functioning of the National Assembly and the Election Commission, "virtually destroying the liberal-democratic constitutional order."
Organizing a rebellion under South Korean law carries a maximum penalty of the death penalty or life imprisonment.
South Korea last imposed the death penalty in 2016, but has not executed a single person since 1997.
There was heavy police security outside the Seoul Central District Court, which is handling the case, and police buses formed a security cordon around the building.
The court will also rule on allegations that Jun abused his powers by ordering troops to storm parliament and drag out his opponents to arrest and imprison them, and that he directed soldiers and police to block, control, inspect and restrict access to facilities such as the opposition party building.
Jun, 65, has denied the charges. The conservative former career prosecutor has argued that as president he had the authority to declare martial law and that his move was aimed at "warning" about obstruction of government work by opposition parties.
There are eight cases pending against Jun.
Reuters reports that the deposed former leader, who is being held at the Seoul Detention Center, is expected to file an appeal and can then challenge any decision of the Court of Appeals before the Supreme Court.
Court guidelines stipulate that first-instance proceedings should be completed within six months and the entire process, including appeals, within two years, but trials often take longer.
Jun, who faces eight court cases, was sentenced in a separate trial in January to five years in prison on charges that included obstructing authorities' attempts to arrest him after the declaration of a state of emergency. He has appealed the verdict.
Although Jun's attempt to impose a state of emergency lasted only about six hours before massive street protests ensued and parliament voted to reject it, the move sent shockwaves through South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy, a key security ally of the United States (US) and a country long considered one of the world's most resilient democracies.
In a post on the X network, President Lee Jae-myung, a liberal who won a snap election in June after Jun's impeachment, praised the Korean people's actions in thwarting the attempt to impose a state of emergency.
"It was possible because it is the Republic of Korea," Lee said, using South Korea's official name, adding that the Korean people would serve as an example in human history.
He attached a newspaper article to the post about how some academics have recommended that the Korean public be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for opposing the military and police to prevent a state of emergency - without violence.
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