South Korea Court to Rule on Yoon Martial Law Rebellion

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared at a Seoul court on Thursday as the country awaited a major verdict in a case linked to his short-lived martial law attempt.

Yoon is facing rebellion charges, the most serious accusation in the case. The charges stem from events on December 3, 2024, when Yoon declared martial law and sent troops to surround the National Assembly, triggering one of South Korea’s biggest political crises in decades.

A special prosecutor has asked the court to give Yoon the death penalty, stating that his actions posed a direct threat to South Korea’s democracy and deserved the harshest punishment possible.

However, most political and legal analysts believe Yoon is more likely to receive a life sentence, mainly because the attempt was poorly planned and no casualties were reported. South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997, and the country is widely considered to be under a de facto moratorium on the death penalty.

The verdict and sentence were expected to be delivered by Seoul Central District Court Judge Jee Kui-youn.

As Yoon arrived at the court in a prison bus, a large police presence was deployed outside the judicial complex. Supporters of Yoon gathered and shouted slogans as the bus passed, while critics protested nearby, demanding the death penalty.

The court is also expected to rule on the cases of seven former military and police officials accused of enforcing the martial law order. This includes former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun.

Yoon, known as a strong conservative leader, has defended his decision, saying martial law was needed to stop liberals, whom he called “anti-state forces,” from blocking his government’s agenda in parliament.

The martial law order lasted about six hours. It ended after lawmakers managed to enter the National Assembly despite the military blockade and voted unanimously to lift the measure.

Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, after lawmakers voted to impeach him. He was formally removed from the presidency by the Constitutional Court in April 2025.

He has been in custody since July 2025, while facing multiple criminal trials. The rebellion charge carries the most severe punishment.

Last month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison in a separate case for resisting arrest, fabricating the martial law proclamation, and declaring martial law without holding a legally required full Cabinet meeting.

In related cases, the Seoul Central Court has already convicted two of Yoon’s former Cabinet members. This includes former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison for trying to legitimize the martial law decree, falsifying records, and lying under oath. Han has appealed the verdict.