South Korea court sentences ex-president Yoon to 30 years over drone operation

A court in Seoul has sentenced South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison over military drone flights into North Korea. The ruling says the 2024 operation was used to heighten tensions and help justify Yoon's later declaration of martial law. It adds another major legal blow to the ousted leader and deepens a political crisis that has already reshaped South Korea's presidency.

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A spokesperson for the Seoul Central District Court said Yoon was given 30 years in jail for the drone case, without giving further detail. According to a summary of the judges' findings, the operation was intended to provoke North Korea into taking armed or equivalent action against South Korea's military or people. The court said Yoon approved the drone mission believing he could use presidential powers for his own political gain.

Yoon is already in detention while he appeals a separate life sentence for leading an insurrection linked to the martial law declaration. The judges said the 2024 drone operation involved the use of South Korea's military capabilities for private purposes. They also said the president's powers, including command of the armed forces and the authority to declare martial law, must be exercised to protect national survival and security.

Yoon's defence has denied the charge, arguing that the drone flights were a response to North Korea sending balloons carrying trash across the border that year. Pyongyang had accused the South of dropping propaganda leaflets as well, and the flights were said to have sparked anger in the North. The case matters because it sits at the intersection of domestic constitutional order and inter-Korean security.

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South Korea and North Korea remain technically at war, and drone flights have long been a flashpoint in their relations. The ruling also underlines how the failed martial law move continues to shape South Korea's politics and legal system, with Yoon facing multiple cases after being removed from office. Yoon's late-night televised address in December 2024 suspended civilian rule for about six hours before lawmakers voted it down in an emergency session.

That move triggered protests, sent the stock market plunging and caught key allies off guard. The latest sentence follows a separate court ruling that had already handed Yoon a life sentence for insurrection, and it comes after liberal President Lee Jae Myung won a snap election amid months of political turmoil. What remains unclear is how Yoon's legal team will respond and whether the appeal process will change the sentence.

It is also not yet clear whether further findings will emerge about the chain of command behind the drone flights or the extent of any wider planning. For now, the ruling leaves South Korea's courts at the centre of a dispute that is both legal and strategic, with implications for the country's internal stability and its ties with North Korea.

#SouthKorea #YoonSukYeol #SeoulCentralDistrictCourt #NorthKorea #martiallaw

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