A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison over a controversial drone operation linked to his failed attempt to impose martial law in late 2024, according to The Nation.
The ruling was delivered on Friday by the Seoul Central District Court, which found Yoon guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy. According to the Yonhap news agency, the court said Yoon was involved from the beginning in a plan to send military drones over Pyongyang in October 2024. Prosecutors argued that the operation was designed to provoke tensions with North Korea and create a justification for declaring martial law two months later.
Yoon has strongly denied the charges. His lawyers maintain that he neither ordered nor approved the drone mission. They argued that the operation was a response to repeated actions by North Korea, including sending balloons filled with waste across the border, and had no connection to the later political crisis.
The sentence follows an earlier request by prosecutors, who had called for a 30 year prison term in April. It also adds to a series of legal setbacks for the former leader, whose presidency ended in turmoil.
In February, Yoon was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of leading an insurrection tied to his martial law declaration. His decision to impose martial law shocked the country and triggered one of the most serious political crises in South Korea in decades.
Yoon, once the country’s top prosecutor before entering politics, was removed from office after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment. This led to a snap election, which brought current President Lee Jae Myung to power.
Already in custody, Yoon has the right to appeal the latest ruling. The case continues to unfold as South Korea grapples with the political and legal consequences of a deeply divisive chapter in its recent history.
