Former South Korean President Yoon Receives Additional 30-Year Prison Sentence

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been handed an additional 30-year prison sentence for his role in a drone operation targeting North Korea, according to court documents released on Friday. The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of abusing his authority and harming national interests. He was deemed to have sent drones into North Korea to deliberately escalate tensions, providing a justification for declaring martial law in December 2024. Former Defence Minister Kim Yong Hyun received the same 30-year sentence in the case, while former Military Intelligence Commander Yeo In Hyeong was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Former Drone Operations Command Commander Kim Yong Dae received a three-year suspended sentence with five years of probation. The court stated that the defendants believed imposing martial law required specific emergency conditions and therefore sought to create such a situation by provoking a military response from North Korea and heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The ruling noted the operation risked triggering a military conflict that could have caused casualties and material losses, while also undermining South Korea’s defence interests. The court described the use of military personnel for personal political gain under the guise of an official operation as a fundamental betrayal of public trust. It further stated that the operation potentially exposed some of South Korea’s military capabilities to North Korea, aiding the latter’s military preparedness. The court also determined that Yoon, as commander-in-chief at the time, approved the operation for personal political purposes rather than fulfilling his duty to protect the state and national security. Investigators said the operation was conducted in autumn 2024 under the pretext of responding to North Korea’s sending of trash-filled balloons into the South. In October of that year, North Korea accused the South of flying drones into its airspace to scatter propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang. In February, Yoon was already sentenced to life imprisonment in a separate case on rebellion charges linked to the martial law declaration on 3 December 2024. He has appealed that verdict.