South Korea's top court upholds seven-year prison term for Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld a seven-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, closing the first criminal case tied to his martial law declaration to reach the country’s highest court. Yoon remained in detention and did not appear for the ruling, which is final in this case.

The conviction stems from Yoon’s brief declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, a move that triggered a national crisis and ended his presidency. The Supreme Court agreed with earlier findings that Yoon violated Cabinet members’ right to deliberate before issuing the decree, later falsified the official proclamation and used presidential security forces to resist law-enforcement efforts to detain him after his impeachment. Martial law lasted only hours before lawmakers broke through a blockade of soldiers and police at the National Assembly in Seoul and voted to repeal it, forcing the Cabinet to lift the order.

In April 2026, the Seoul High Court increased the sentence from five years to seven after judges found additional wrongdoing, including forged signatures connected to the martial law documents. The Supreme Court said there was no legal misunderstanding in those lower-court rulings. Yoon’s legal team said it was deeply disappointed and argued the justices had not given sufficient review to a case of such significance.

The Constitutional Court removed him on April 4, 2025, finding that his martial law decree lacked a legal basis and did not follow required procedures. South Korea then held a snap presidential election on June 3, 2025, which produced Lee Jae Myung as the next president.

Yoon still faces other criminal proceedings, including an appeal of a life sentence on a rebellion charge and a separate 30-year sentence tied to allegations that he ordered drone flights in 2024 to raise tensions with North Korea and create a pretext for martial law.