Jan 16, Kathmandu - A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison on charges related to his decision to impose martial law.

The verdict is the first of eight criminal cases against Yoon, who is facing charges related to the order he issued in late 2024 and other related charges. Prosecutors say his actions in those cases seriously undermined the country’s constitutional order and democratic process.

The most serious charges against Yoon include leading a rebellion in connection with his martial law implementation, which carries a penalty of up to the death penalty under the law. However, a final verdict on the serious charges has yet to be reached.

In a related case, the Seoul Central District Court on Friday found him guilty of disobeying the orders of the authorities who detained him and sentenced him to prison. The court described these actions as a serious challenge to the rule of law.

Yun did not immediately respond publicly to the ruling. But when an independent special prosecutor had previously sought a 10-year prison sentence for him on the charges, Yun's defense team argued that the charges were politically motivated and that there was no legal basis for seeking such an "excessive" sentence.

After the UN briefly imposed martial law in December 2024, widespread popular protests began across the country against his actions. As demands for his ouster grew during those demonstrations, he was eventually impeached, arrested, and removed from office as president.

Yun has maintained that his order was not intended to lead the country into a long-term military dictatorship, but rather to alert the public to the dangers posed by a liberal-controlled parliament that was constantly obstructing his agenda. But investigators have interpreted the order as a coup, abuse of power, and other criminal offenses, concluding that he was seeking to consolidate and perpetuate his rule.