South Korea's ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced this February 19 to life in prison for the declaration of a short-lived martial law and the subsequent actions he carried out in December 2024. The presiding judge believed that Yoon’s actions were an active threat to South Korea’s democracy and an attempt to subvert the constitutional order. Prosecutors had actually asked for the death penalty.
The political crisis that led to this sentence began on December 3, 2024, when then President Yoon abruptly declared martial law during a period of declining public support. Justifying the decision with unsubstantiated claims that pro-North Korea “anti-government” groups were threatening national security, Yoon bypassed several cabinet members in a secretive emergency meeting. His actions sparked mass protests and fierce opposition from lawmakers, eventually leading to his impeachment in April 2025.
Click through to learn more about this unprecedented political drama that has shaken one of Asia’s most prominent democracies.