On Jan. 16, the Seoul Central District Court in South Korea ruled to sentence the country’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison over charges, including obstructing investigators’ attempt to detain him in 2025, Yonhap reported. The development marks the first verdict on charges against Yoon arising from his martial-law initiation in December 2024.
According to The Korea Herald, the prosecution initially sought a 10-year sentence, which included five years for obstructing an arrest, two years for revising the martial law decree post-implementation and three years for interfering with Cabinet deliberations, providing false information to international media and destroying evidence.
Yonhap noted that the judge found Yoon guilty of all charges, except for infringing the rights of two out of nine Cabinet members and spreading false press statements.
The former president stands trial in eight separate cases, with the next court scheduled for Feb. 19 on the insurrection charge, for which the prosecution demanded the death penalty.
