Former South Korean President Yoon receives an additional 7-year prison sentence.

This punishment is added to the life sentence he is already serving for crimes related to rebellion and attempting to illegally and unexpectedly declare martial law on the night of December 3, 2024.

In his ruling, Judge Yoon Sung-sik affirmed that former President Yoon had committed serious violations of the constitution and laws.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol at his trial for rebellion on January 13. Photo: Provided by the court.

Specifically, the court determined that Yoon had deliberately avoided a full cabinet meeting as required before declaring martial law. He was accused of only summoning a few close members to formally "legitimize" the decree, violating the authority of other cabinet members, and of falsifying administrative documents to conceal irregularities in the emergency declaration process.

The court also determined that former President Yoon had mobilized presidential security forces "as his personal army" to obstruct investigators from executing arrest warrants after he was impeached by the South Korean National Assembly .

Mr. Yoon remained silent throughout the trial and did not make any statements after the verdict. His defense attorney, Yoo Jeong-hwa, described the sentence as "very disappointing" and confirmed they would appeal to the Supreme Court. Previously, the former South Korean president had also appealed his life sentence in the rebellion case.

In January, a lower court had sentenced Yoon to five years in prison but dropped some charges of abuse of power related to a cabinet meeting before martial law was declared. However, the Seoul High Court reversed this ruling and found him guilty on all charges.

The brief martial law decree in December 2024 plunged South Korea into chaos, paralyzing financial markets and diplomatic activities. After being impeached by the South Korean National Assembly on December 14, 2024, and officially removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April 2025, Yoon has continuously faced legal troubles.

After being suspended from office, he repeatedly refused to comply with summonses and arrest warrants from investigators. In early January 2025, dozens of investigators went to the South Korean Presidential Palace to execute an arrest warrant but were prevented from doing so by presidential security forces and vehicles blocking the road. He was arrested at the end of that month, temporarily released in March before being arrested again in July 2025.

Last week, prosecutors also requested a 30-year prison sentence in a separate case. Yoon is accused of deliberately escalating tensions with North Korea by sending drones into Pyongyang to create a pretext for maintaining martial law in the country.

On April 28, the Seoul High Court also increased the sentence to four years in prison for Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, for accepting bribes in the form of luxury gifts from the Unification Church and manipulating stock prices.

Source: https://congluan.vn/cuu-tong-thong-han-quoc-yoon-linh-them-an-tu-7-nam-10339910.html