South Korea Supreme Court Upholds 7-Year Sentence for Yoon Over Martial Law

South Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a final ruling upholding a seven-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, confirming his conviction over the brief declaration of martial law he imposed in December 2024 — a political earthquake that plunged the country into weeks of turmoil.

The ruling is final and cannot be appealed, as it comes from the country's highest court. Yoon, who remained in detention, did not attend the hearing.

What Yoon Was Found Guilty Of

The Supreme Court upheld an April ruling by the Seoul High Court that found Yoon guilty on multiple counts. These included infringing on Cabinet members' right to deliberate before declaring martial law, falsifying the official martial law proclamation to conceal procedural violations, later destroying the document, and deploying presidential security forces to illegally resist law enforcement efforts to arrest him after his impeachment.

Specifically, the court found that Yoon had called only 11 Cabinet members to his office shortly before the dramatic late-night television declaration on December 3, 2024, and that he informed them of his decision unilaterally rather than inviting deliberation. Nine other Cabinet members were either not notified at all or informed too late.

The Martial Law Crisis

Yoon's martial law declaration lasted only hours before South Korea's National Assembly voted to repeal it. Lawmakers broke through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers to reach the parliament building and cast their votes. The Constitutional Court later removed Yoon from office in April 2025, finding his decree lacked legal grounds.

The crisis rattled financial markets, paralyzed diplomacy, and triggered mass protests. His liberal rival, Lee Jae Myung, subsequently won an early presidential election in June 2025.

More Cases Pending

The seven-year sentence confirmed Thursday is only one of several criminal proceedings Yoon faces. He has also been sentenced to 30 years in a separate case accusing him of ordering military drone flights over Pyongyang to heighten tensions with North Korea. He has appealed that verdict, as well as a life sentence handed down in the most serious charge — rebellion — which is also under appeal.

His legal team expressed "deep regret" over Thursday's ruling, claiming the justices had concluded a significant case without sufficient review.