World

S Korea ex-president Yoon jailed 30 years in drone case

Jun 12, 2026

South Korea Martial Law — A South Korean court says Yoon Suk-yeol had conspired in a drone incursion in October 2024. -AP

A South Korean court has sentenced former president Yoon Suk -yeol to 30 years in prison over charges linked ‌to military drones sent over Pyongyang to help create a pretext for ‌his failed December 2024 martial law declaration.

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The Seoul Central District Court on Friday found Yoon guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy, saying he had conspired in the October 2024 ‌drone incursion ‌from the ⁠outset.

Yoon denied wrongdoing.

His lawyers said he neither ordered nor later approved the operation, which they said was unrelated to martial law and instead a response to months of North Korean launches across the border of balloons ⁠stuffed with rubbish.

Prosecutors had sought ‌a 30-year prison term for Yoon in April.

The ruling adds to a series of ‌judgements against the ousted conservative leader, once South Korea's top prosecutor, whose martial law order plunged Asia's fourth-largest economy into its deepest political turmoil in decades.

In February, a South Korean court sentenced Yoon to life in prison after finding him guilty ‌of leading an insurrection linked to the martial law attempt.

He was removed from office in 2025 after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, triggering a snap election that was won by liberal President Lee Jae Myung.

Yoon, who is already in custody, can appeal Friday's ⁠lower court ruling.