Former South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol struck a defiant tone today after a Seoul court sentenced him to life in prison for rebellion yesterday, rejecting the ruling and defending his controversial declaration of martial law.
In a statement issued through his legal team, Yoon maintained that his abrupt and short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024 was done “solely for the sake of the nation and our people,” and dismissed the Seoul Central District Court as biased against him.
Yoon, who has been jailed since last July, rejected the verdict as illegitimate.
“In a situation where the independence of the judiciary cannot be guaranteed and a verdict based on law and conscience is difficult to expect, I feel deep skepticism whether it would be meaningful to continue a legal battle through an appeal.”
Yoon Suk Yeol
Yoon’s martial law decree, announced late at night on Dec. 3, 2024, lasted about six hours, after a quorum of lawmakers broke through a military blockade and unanimously voted to overturn it, forcing his Cabinet to lift the measure.
Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, after being impeached by lawmakers and was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has been facing multiple criminal trials under arrest, with the rebellion charge carrying the most severe punishment.
Yoon has long rejected the eight criminal cases brought against him for what prosecutors described as a coup attempt and other allegations.
However, the Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of orchestrating a rebellion by mobilizing military and police forces in an illegal bid to seize the liberal-led legislature, arrest political opponents and establish unchecked rule for an indefinite period.
Yoon has described his authoritarian push as necessary to counter the opposition-controlled legislature, which he portrayed as made up of “anti-state” forces.
In handing down his verdict on rebellion charges on yesterday, Judge Jee Kui-youn of the Seoul court said that Yoon has shown “no sign of apology for the staggering social costs incurred by the emergency martial law” and that he “refused to appear in court without any justifiable reason” several times.
Conservative supporters of the former President, who rallied near the court for hours ahead of the verdict, expressed disappointment and anger after it was announced, while his opponents cheered in nearby streets, the two groups separated by hundreds of police officers.
The Seoul court also convicted and sentenced five former military and police officials involved in enforcing Yoon’s martial law decree.
They included ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who received a 30-year jail term for his central role in planning the measure, mobilizing the military and instructing military counterintelligence officials to arrest key politicians, including current liberal President Lee Jae Myung.
In his statement, Yoon expressed sympathy to the families of soldiers, police officials and public servants facing investigations or indictment in connection with his martial law decree, saying he feels responsible for their suffering. However, he also assured his supporters that “our fight is not over.”
Yoon Statement Not Indication Of Plan To Waive Right To Appeal
Yoo Jeong-hwa, one of Yoon’s lawyers, said that Yoon was “merely expressing his current state of mind” and was not indicating an intention to waive his right to appeal. Yoon has seven days to appeal Thursday’s sentence.
Also, Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the conservative People Power Party, said at a news conference today that the court failed to present a convincing case that Yoon’s martial law amounted to rebellion and, referring to a possible appeal, stressed that “the right to be presumed innocent applies to everyone without exception.”
Yoon could also face an appeal brought by an independent counsel, who asked the court to sentence him to death and have the right to ask a higher court to change the sentence.
Jang Woo-sung, a member of the investigation team, told reporters after the ruling that the team has “reservations” regarding the court’s factual findings and the severity of the sentence.
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