South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk Yeol and his ex-defence minister have been handed 30-year prison sentences on Friday. The court found them guilty of orchestrating drone flights over Pyongyang in 2024 to provoke North Korea and justify imposing martial law in South Korea. The actions were deemed damaging to South Korea’s military interests by exposing its capabilities and prompting North Korea to enhance its defense posture.
Yoon had previously been sentenced to life in prison for a rebellion conviction related to the imposition of martial law in December 2024. The tension escalated after North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang to distribute propaganda leaflets. Although the Defence Ministry neither confirmed nor denied the allegations, the situation did not result in military confrontations.
Yoon’s defense argued that the drone flights were in response to North Korea sending balloons carrying trash into South Korea earlier in 2024. Special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk had sought a 30-year prison term for Yoon, accusing him of attempting to instigate conflict between the Koreas and consolidate power by removing political opponents. Kim Yong Hyun, a close aide to Yoon, faced a 25-year prison term for his role in planning and executing the martial law declaration.
The martial law declaration by Yoon was short-lived, lasting about six hours before being overturned by lawmakers. Subsequently, Yoon was impeached, suspended from office, and eventually removed by the Constitutional Court. He was arrested in July 2025, and multiple criminal trials are ongoing, including an appeal on the rebellion conviction, for which prosecutors had initially sought a death sentence.