South Korea’s court has imposed a 30-year prison sentence on former President Yoon due to a drone incursion

A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday for charges related to his ordering an incursion of military drones over North Korea to help create a pretext for his failed December 2024 martial law declaration.

The Seoul Central District Court determined that Yoon was guilty of assisting the enemy and abusing his power, stating that he had been involved in the planning of the October 2024 drone incursion over Pyongyang from the beginning, as per a court statement.

The ruling contributes to a succession of decisions against the deposed conservative leader, who was formerly South Korea’s chief prosecutor, and whose martial law decree thrust Asia’s fourth-largest economy into its most profound political upheaval in decades.

Yoon firmly rejected any allegations of misconduct regarding the drone incursion.

His lawyers stated that he neither ordered nor subsequently approved the operation, asserting that it was unrelated to martial law and was instead a response to months of North Korean launches involving balloons filled with debris across the border.

In April, prosecutors pursued a 30-year prison sentence for Yoon.

In February, a South Korean court sentenced Yoon to life in prison after determining that he was guilty of orchestrating an insurrection associated with the martial law attempt.

He was ousted from office last year after the Constitutional Court confirmed his impeachment, leading to a snap election that was won by liberal President Lee Jae Myung.

Yoon, currently in custody, has the option to appeal the lower court ruling made on Friday. The former president, facing challenges, has appealed the previous rulings made against him.