A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former president Yoon Suk-yeol to 30 years in prison after finding that he ordered military drone flights into North Korea as part of a plan to manufacture a national security crisis ahead of his controversial martial law declaration in 2024.
– The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon intended to provoke a response from Pyongyang and heighten inter-Korean tensions in an effort to justify suspending civilian rule.
– Judges said the drone operation was designed to trigger armed or comparable actions from North Korea, creating conditions that could be used to support the declaration of martial law.
– According to the ruling, Yoon improperly used South Korea’s military capabilities for personal political objectives rather than national security needs.
– The court said presidential powers, including command of the armed forces and the authority to declare martial law, must be exercised to protect the nation, not to advance political interests.
– Yoon has denied wrongdoing, insisting that his martial law declaration was made “for the sake of the nation.” His legal team also argued that the drone flights were a response to North Korean balloons carrying trash across the border.
– The sentence comes as Yoon remains in detention while appealing a separate life sentence for leading what prosecutors described as an insurrection through his December 2024 martial law declaration.
– Yoon’s late-night announcement of martial law in December 2024 plunged South Korea into political turmoil, triggering mass protests and rattling financial markets before lawmakers overturned the measure within hours.
– The crisis ultimately led to his removal from office and the election of President Lee Jae-myung after months of political instability.
– Drone operations remain a sensitive issue on the Korean Peninsula, where North and South Korea remain technically at war and military tensions continue to simmer.
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