Former South Korean Leader Challenges Life Prison Term for Martial Law

South Korea's imprisoned ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol is fighting his life sentence after being convicted of rebellion for declaring martial law last December. The controversial decree lasted only six hours before lawmakers overturned it, but sparked the nation's worst political crisis in decades.

SEOUL, South Korea — Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is challenging his life prison sentence after being found guilty of rebellion for his short-lived martial law declaration in December 2024, according to his legal representatives on Tuesday.

The imprisoned conservative politician showed defiance after his conviction at Seoul Central District Court last week, describing the ruling as illogical and claiming his decisions were “solely for the sake of the nation and our people.” He also alleged judicial bias against him.

Yoon’s attorneys stated in a text message that they plan to challenge what they consider “errors in fact-finding and misinterpretations of the law” from Thursday’s verdict. The appeal will go before a special panel at Seoul High Court, created under December legislation to handle rebellion, treason, and foreign subversion cases.

“We will never be silent about what we view as an excessive indictment by a special prosecutor, the contradictory judgment rendered by the lower court based on that premise, and its political circumstances,” his defense team declared.

The martial law order, issued late on December 3, 2024, remained in effect for approximately six hours before legislators fought past armed military personnel and police surrounding the National Assembly. They successfully voted to reverse the decree, compelling his administration to withdraw the measure.

Following his impeachment by the opposition-controlled parliament, Yoon lost his presidential powers on December 14, 2024, and was officially removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. After being detained again in July, he now confronts eight separate criminal proceedings related to the martial law incident and additional charges, with rebellion carrying the most severe penalty.

Despite its brief duration, Yoon’s emergency declaration created South Korea’s most serious political upheaval in decades, freezing government operations and diplomatic activities while destabilizing financial markets. The crisis subsided only after his liberal opponent Lee Jae Myung secured victory in an emergency presidential contest last June.

Yoon has defended his martial law announcement as a lawful and essential governance measure against opposition legislators, characterizing them as “anti-state” elements who were crippling government functions through impeachments of senior officials, budget reductions, and legislative obstruction.

However, Seoul Central District Court determined that Yoon’s conduct constituted organizing a rebellion, concluding he deployed military forces and law enforcement in an illegal attempt to control the legislature, detain political adversaries, and establish unlimited authority for an extended period.

The special prosecutor investigating Yoon’s rebellion charges had requested capital punishment, arguing he warranted the maximum legal penalty due to the danger his actions created for the nation’s democratic system. After last week’s decision, investigation team member Jang Woo-sung suggested they might appeal, citing unspecified concerns about certain court findings and the sentence’s severity.

South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997, reflecting what many consider an unofficial halt to capital punishment amid growing public support for its elimination.

Yoon becomes the first former South Korean president to receive life imprisonment since deceased military ruler Chun Doo-hwan, who received a death sentence in 1996 for his 1979 military takeover, the deadly 1980 suppression of democracy advocates in Gwangju that killed or disappeared over 200 people, and corruption. The Supreme Court later commuted Chun’s sentence to life imprisonment, and he was freed in late 1997 through a special presidential clemency.