Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Sentenced to 30 Years for Drone Operations
Seoul Court's Verdict on Yoon Suk Yeol
File image of ex South Korean Prez Yoon Suk Yeol (Photo: @RT_com/X)
Seoul, June 12: A court in Seoul has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison after he was found guilty of orchestrating drone incursions into North Korea. This action was deemed an effort to escalate tensions across the border and lay the groundwork for a martial law declaration in December 2024.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled against Yoon on charges of aiding the enemy and abusing his power, aligning with the sentencing recommendation from special counsel Cho Eun-suk.
According to reports from Yonhap News Agency, the court established that Yoon had initiated the drone operations in October 2024 to provoke North Korea, intending to leverage the resulting tensions as justification for his martial law declaration on December 3.
Shortly after the ruling, Yoon's legal representatives filed an appeal.
Additionally, the court sentenced former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun to 30 years in prison for his involvement, exceeding the 25-year sentence recommended by the special counsel.
Yeo In-hyung, the former head of the Defence Counterintelligence Command, received a 15-year sentence, while Kim Yong-dae, the former chief of the Drone Operations Command, was given a three-year sentence, which was suspended for five years.
The court stated, "To facilitate martial law, the defendants resorted to psychological warfare tactics to provoke North Korea, aiming to incite an armed conflict or create a national security crisis through heightened military tensions." It emphasized that their actions betrayed public trust in the military's legitimate use of force, indicating personal motives behind the operations.
Yoon's defense argued that the drone missions were a necessary military response to North Korea's balloon launches into South Korea in 2024.
However, the court concluded that these operations compromised South Korea's security by revealing military capabilities to North Korea, thereby enhancing the North's military preparedness.
In October 2024, North Korea accused South Korea of conducting drone infiltrations and distributing propaganda leaflets over its capital. Initially, then Defence Minister Kim denied these claims, but the ministry later stated it could not confirm or deny the allegations.
This ruling adds to Yoon's legal troubles, as he is currently incarcerated and facing several trials related to his failed martial law attempt. Earlier in February, he received a life sentence for leading an insurrection through his martial law declaration, a decision he has also appealed.