Ex- South Korean president Yoon jailed for five years as he is facing death penalty over martial law & ‘botched coup’

SOUTH Korea’s former president Yoon Suk Yeol has been sentenced to five years in jail - over a number of charges related to his botched martial law bid. The previously impeached leader, 65, could still be sentenced to death over the historic 2024 decree if he is found guilty of directing a rebellion. The ruling marks the first verdict of four trials that the former president will face over his failed attempt in December 2024 to introduce martial law. The shock move sparked widespread panic as protests erupted across the country calling for his removal - with many accusing him of authoritarianism. Frantic MPs scrambled to the National Assembly to overturn the decision - the first time it had been imposed in more than 40 years. On Friday, a judge told how Yoon’s unprecedented move “plunged the country into political crisis”. read more world news They also noted that the ex-leader had “consistently shown no remorse”. The former president was sentenced over abuse of power, obstructing justice, and falsifying documents over the alleged failed coup. Yoon’s various other charges range from breaking campaigning laws to the most serious accusation of insurrection. If found guilty of leading a rebellion, he could be sentenced to death, prosecutors say. Most read in The US Sun In 1996, former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan faced execution for seizing power in a military coup in 1979. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. The prosecutors in Yoon’s case argue that although no one was killed in his martial law attempt, his intent was no less violent. But the court will likely sentence him to life in prison as South Korea has not executed anyone since 1997, analysts say. Over 100 loyal supporters gathered outside the courthouse on Friday to watch the right-wing firebrand’s sentencing. Protesting the judge’s decision, many were heard shouting pro-Yoon slogans while others were seen holding up banners which read “Yoon, again! Make Korea great again”. Yoon was convicted of using presidential bodyguards to stop his arrest, failing to consult his cabinet before declaring martial law, as well as drafting and then destroying a falsified document claiming the martial law bid had been approved by his prime minister and defence minister. Prosecutors had previously sought a 10-year sentence for the convictions. The former leader has denied all his charges, arguing that his arrest warrant was invalid and that he did not have to consult his entire cabinet before enacting martial law. South Korean courts are known to be more forgiving when suspects plead guilty or accept responsibility. But given Yoon’s apparent lack of remorse, prosecutors say this should see him be slapped with a tougher sentence. No one could have imagined that Yoon would be facing either life in jail or execution when he won South Korea’s presidency in 2022, only a year after entering politics. It has been a spectacular fall from grace for the former star prosecutor, with observers describing Yoon’s actions as political suicide. Yoon’s martial law bid was...

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