Headlines

• A South Korean court has found ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol guilty of masterminding an insurrection
• The 65-year-old has been sentenced to life in prison over his botched attempt in December 2024 at imposing military rule
• The ruling found that former Defense Minister Kim colluded with Yoon from the early stages of the martial law declaration. Meanwhile, Commissioner General Cho and Seoul Police Chief Kim were found to have been aware of plans to deploy troops and to have been instructed to maintain order during the operation.

Seoul, Feb. 18.– In December 2024, then-South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol made a botched attempt at imposing military rule to reassert his leadership.

That was overturned six hours later, after lawmakers defied armed police and military to gather inside parliament and vote down the decree.

Yoon was subsequently impeached by parliament, arrested and charged with multiple offences.

Thursday's verdict - on the charge of leading an insurrection - was in relation to the most serious of those charges. He still faces further trials from aiding an enemy state to violating campaign law.

Other officials were also found guilty of offences; our earlier post has the full list ...

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