Name: South Korea's Yoon gets five‑year jail term in martial law case | REUTERS
Uploaded: 2026-01-16T17:00:40.000Z
Duration: 1 min 44 s
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Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was given a five year prison term on Friday in the first court ruling over his failed attempt in 2024 to impose martial law.

The 65 year old was taken to the Seoul Central District Court in a correctional services bus from a detention center on the outskirts of the capital.

Some supporters cheered for him outside the courthouse while others packed the courtroom for the verdict.

A three judge panel found Yoon guilty of using presidential security services to block attempts by authorities arrest him.

The court said it was an abuse of power that, quote, effectively privatized officials loyal to the Republic of Korea for personal safety and personal gain.

Yoon was also found guilty of faking official documents and failing to follow the legal process required for martial law, which has to be discussed at a formal cabinet meeting outside the court.

One of Yoon's lawyers said the former president would appeal.

Yoo Jong Hwa called the trial politicized, saying that the verdict overly simplifies the boundary between the president's exercise of constitutional authority and criminal liability.

Yun could have faced up to 10 years in prison over the obstruction charges.

The then president had barricaded himself inside his residential compound in January last year and ordered the security service to block investigators from arresting him.

He was later arrested in a second attempt involving more than 3,000 police officers.

Prosecutors have asked the court in a separate trial to sentence Yoon to death for masterminding an insurrection.

Yoon has argued it was within his powers as president to declare martial law.