Ousted South Korean President Yoon sentenced over drones above Pyongyang

(Patria) - Ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his former defence minister were sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison in a case alleging that Yoon ordered drone flights over Pyongyang in 2024 to heighten tensions with North Korea and justify the declaration of martial law in the country, AP reported.

The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon and his former defence minister, Kim Yong Hyun, guilty of aiding the enemy and abuse of power, saying they sought to provoke North Korea into launching armed attacks or other serious retaliation against South Korea to create a national emergency.

The court stated that these moves harmed South Korea's military interests by revealing its capabilities, undermining its ability to conduct future operations, and prompting North Korea to strengthen its defensive posture. Yoon's lawyers have appealed the verdict.

The same court earlier sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment for a conviction of insurrection over the short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024.

North Korea accused Seoul of using drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times in October 2024. Kim, who was South Korea's defence minister at the time, issued a vague denial before the Defence Ministry said it could neither confirm nor deny the allegations. Tensions rose sharply but did not lead to military clashes.

Yoon's lawyers criticised the latest verdict, saying the drone flights were a response to North Korea sending thousands of balloons carrying trash to the South earlier in 2024. They argued that the guilty verdict would undermine South Korea's security interests.

Investigators, led by special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, sought a 30-year prison term for Yoon, accusing him of trying to create a war situation between the two Koreas, while simultaneously planning an authoritarian crackdown to remove political opponents and "monopolise" power. They sought a 25-year prison term for Kim, a key Yoon confidant who helped plan and mobilise forces for Yoon's martial law declaration.

Yoon proceeded with the declaration late on the night of December 3, 2024, delivering a televised speech accusing liberal lawmakers of being sympathisers of Pyongyang and "anti-state" forces. He made a series of allegations, such as the opposition's impeachment of senior officials and cuts to his government's budget.

Martial law lasted about six hours until lawmakers broke through a blockade of soldiers and police at the National Assembly and voted to overturn it, forcing Yoon's cabinet to lift the measure.

Yoon was quickly impeached, suspended from duty, and formally removed by the Constitutional Court. He was arrested in July 2025 and several criminal trials are ongoing.

The verdict in the most serious case, insurrection, has been appealed by both Yoon and prosecutors, who sought the death penalty.