Former South Korean President receives another 30-year prison sentence

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's legal team filed an appeal on Friday against a verdict on his general treason charges. Yoon was sentenced to 30 years in prison for general treason linked to the infiltration of drones into North Korea back in 2024.

Both Yoon Suk Yeol and his former defence minister were sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday, in a case where Yoon was alleged to have ordered drone flights over Pyongyang 2 years ago. The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon and Kim Yong Hyun guilty of aiding an adversary and abusing their power, saying they sought to provoke North Korea into launching armed attacks against South Korea to manufacture a national emergency. The same court earlier sentenced Yoon to life in prison for a rebellion conviction over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024.

North Korea accused Seoul of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets in October 2024. Tensions at the time rose sharply, but did not lead to any military clashes.

Yoon proceeded with a martial law declaration on December 3, 2024, which lasted 6 hours, until lawmakers broke through a blockade of soldiers and police at the National Assembly and voted to overturn it. Yoon was quickly impeached, suspended from office, and eventually removed. He was arrested in July 2025.