A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced former Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment.
This is after the Asian country found him guilty on charges of abuse of authority and masterminding an insurrection, stemming from his December 2024 attempt to impose martial law.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty in the case, closely watched in a deeply divided country.
Recall that in January, prosecutors had said Yoon’s unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law undermined the function of the National Assembly and the Election Commission.
Masterminding an insurrection carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty or life imprisonment under South Korean law.
South Korea last handed down a death sentence in 2016, but has not executed anyone since 1997.
There was a strong police presence at the Seoul Central District Court, which is trying the case, with police buses forming a security cordon around the building.
The court will also rule on charges that Yoon abused his authority by ordering troops to storm parliament to drag his opponents out and jail them, as well as dispatching soldiers and police to block, inspect, and control access to facilities such as the opposition party building.
Meanwhile, the 65-year-old Yoon has denied the charges.
The ousted former leader, who has been detained at the Seoul Detention Centre, is likely to remain there regardless of the ruling.
