Pyongyang Provocation: Former South Korean Defence Minister Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

A Seoul court on Friday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison. He was found guilty of ordering a drone infiltration into North Korea in an attempt to heighten cross-border tensions and lay the groundwork for the declaration of martial law in December 2024. Yonhap reported the Seoul court also handed a 30-year prison sentence to former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun for his role in the operation. The sentence was heavier than the 25 years requested by the special counsel. The Seoul Central District Court convicted the jailed former president on charges of benefiting the enemy and abuse of power in its ruling, aligning with the sentencing recommendation from special counsel Cho Eun-suk. The court acknowledged that Yoon ordered the operation in October 2024 to provoke Pyongyang. He also used the anticipated spike in cross-border tensions as a pretext for the 3 December martial law declaration. Yoon’s legal team pledged to appeal, expressing deep regret over the ruling. The court also sentenced Yeo In-hyung, former chief of the Defence Counterintelligence Command, to 15 years in prison for his involvement in the operation. Meanwhile, Kim Yong-dae, former head of the Drone Operations Command, received a three-year sentence suspended for five years. ‘To create conditions for martial law, the defendants decided to use psychological warfare tactics to incite North Korea and trigger provocations, using them to spark armed provocations, such as localised conflicts, or to create a national security crisis arising from heightened military tensions,’ the court stated. The Seoul court declared that such actions amounted to ‘betraying’ the people’s hope that the president and defence minister would use military force only for legitimate purposes. The judge added there were personal motivations behind the operation.