Foreign Media: "Yoon Suk Yeol Given Life Sentence for Insurrection That Shook Democracy... Citizens Blocked Martial Law"

[Financial News] Foreign media reported that former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment in his first trial on charges of leading an insurrection, saying he "received a life sentence for allegedly orchestrating an insurrection that nearly upended decades of Korean democracy."
CNN, The New York Times (NYT), BBC, and China Central Television (CCTV) all carried breaking news on the 19th, broadcasting live the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25, presided over by Judge Ji Gui-yeon, handing down a life sentence to the former president.
CNN assessed that "the former president’s abrupt declaration of Martial Law revived dark memories of South Korea’s authoritarian past, triggered a constitutional crisis, and was criticized as an act that shook the core of the nation’s democracy."
It added that "since the late 1980s, South Korea has developed into a robust democracy, grown into a major player in the global economy, and remained a key U.S. ally in Asia. Yet domestic politics are still marked by deep polarization and conflict, and presidents, regardless of political camp, repeatedly face impeachment, investigations, and indictments."
The New York Times wrote that "through his Martial Law proclamation, the former president banned all political activity and placed the media under military control, and he sent armed troops to storm the National Assembly and the National Election Commission (NEC). However, public outrage almost immediately thwarted his martial-law rule," highlighting the role of ordinary citizens.
It went on to explain that "while citizens blocked the military from seizing the main chamber, lawmakers gathered at the National Assembly voted to lift Martial Law, leaving the former president with no choice but to rescind it just six hours after it was declared."
The New York Times also recalled the case of former President Chun Doo-hwan, who was sentenced to death on the same charge, noting that "the Criminal Act of the Republic of Korea stipulates only the death penalty or life imprisonment for this crime—leading an insurrection. The prosecution service sought the death penalty, but the court imposed life imprisonment."
CCTV reported that "former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo were previously convicted and sentenced for multiple crimes, including military coups and the declaration of Martial Law," and added, "the prosecution service argued that this incident occurred despite those historical lessons and insisted that the possibility of reoffending must be taken very seriously when determining the sentence."
On December 3, 2024, the former president declared Martial Law, claiming that "a massive opposition party had paralyzed the nation’s judicial and administrative functions and was plotting an insurrection." Martial law troops entered the National Assembly, but a motion to lift Martial Law passed in a plenary session, and Martial Law was lifted on the 4th.
The former president was arrested in January last year and indicted in custody on charges of leading an insurrection. During the roughly year-long trial, he argued that it was "an appeal to the people in the guise of Martial Law" and not an attempt to paralyze the National Assembly with the aim of subverting the constitutional order. The first-instance court rejected his claim.


june@fnnews.com Reporter Lee Seok-woo Reporter