Court Sentences Yoon Suk Yeol to 5 Years for Declaring Martial Law

On January 16, 2026, a South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison for declaring martial law in December 2027.

The Seoul District Court handed down a five-year prison sentence to former President Yoon on several charges, including obstructing justice by preventing investigators from detaining him last year.

This ruling is the first of several cases related to his attempt to declare martial law in December 2027.

However, the sentence was only half of what the special prosecutor’s team had requested, which was 10 years. The prosecutors argued that Yoon committed "serious crimes" by using state institutions to cover up and legitimise his misconduct.

During the trial, Judge Baek Tae-hyun detailed all the charges and the court’s findings for former President Yoon, who attended the court proceedings. The trial was broadcast live on television.

He was accused of ordering the presidential security service to prevent investigators from taking him into custody in January last year. He was also accused of violating the rights of nine ministers by failing to call a meeting to discuss the martial law plan, as well as fabricating and destroying documents allegedly related to the martial law decree.

Additionally, Yoon was charged with instructing officials to release a press statement with false information about the martial law decree and ordering the deletion of information from the phone of the military commander at the time.

The judge ruled that former President Yoon Suk Yeol was guilty on all charges, except for violating the rights of two of the nine ministers and ordering the release of a false press statement. At the same time, the judge stated that Yoon showed no reaction, despite the “extremely serious nature of the crime.”

This ruling is expected to affect the decision in another trial next month, where former President Yoon is accused of leading a rebellion by attempting to declare martial law. On January 13, 2026, the special prosecutor’s team filed a request for the death penalty for Yoon Suk Yeol in this case, and the court is set to deliver a verdict on February 19, 2026.

Currently, he is facing a total of eight legal cases, including charges related to his attempt to declare martial law, corruption involving his wife, and the death of a marine in 2023.