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A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to an additional 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of ordering a drone operation into North Korea in October 2024. Prosecutors argued that the mission was intended to provoke Pyongyang and create a state of emergency that could justify his controversial declaration of martial law later that year.
The Seoul District Court ruled that Yoon, together with former Defence Minister Kim Yong hyun, former head of the Defence Counterintelligence Command Yeo In hyung and former head of Drone Operations Commands Kim Yong dae, abused their positions by using a military operation to increase tensions with North Korea. The court found them guilty of treason and abuse of power.
According to the court, the operation was designed to trigger retaliation from North Korea, raising the risk of military conflict on the Korean Peninsula. Judges stated that the defendants used the appearance of a military mission to provoke North Korea and create a crisis that could support the declaration of martial law. The court added that Yoon carried the greatest responsibility for the actions because he allegedly gave the orders for the operation.
Kim Yong hyun was also sentenced to 30 years in prison while Yeo In hyung received a 15 year sentence. Kim Yong dae was sentenced to three years in prison with a five year suspended sentence.
Yoon’s legal team defended his actions, arguing that they were a legitimate response to North Korea’s repeated provocations involving rubbish balloons that crossed into South Korean territory. The balloons, which were launched by the North in 2024, were later found to contain filthy waste and trash. The use of propaganda balloons has been a long standing tactic between the two Koreas since the Korean War.
However, tensions escalated after North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang to scatter propaganda leaflets. The court accepted the prosecution’s argument that Yoon had ordered the drone flights expecting North Korea to respond aggressively, thereby creating conditions that could justify emergency measures.
The latest sentence comes as Yoon is already serving a life sentence after being convicted of insurrection over his failed martial law declaration on 3 December 2024. He was also sentenced to five years in prison for abuse of power and for obstructing his own arrest.
Yoon’s attempt to impose martial law triggered nationwide protests and months of political turmoil across South Korea. The crisis eventually led to his impeachment and the election of opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae myung, who won a decisive mandate and brought an end to one of the most turbulent political periods in the country’s recent history.
