Former President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a trial on charges of being the ringleader of insurrection at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on January 9. Provided by the Seoul Central District Court

Former President Yoon Suk-yeol, accused of ordering a drone infiltration operation over Pyongyang, North Korea to create a pretext for the 12·3 insurrection, was sentenced to 30 years in prison at the first trial.

On the 12th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 36 (Presiding Judge Lee Jeong-yeop) sentenced Yoon, who was charged with general aiding the enemy·obstruction of the exercise of rights by abuse of authority, to 30 years in prison.

Former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, who was tried alongside him, was also sentenced to 30 years. Former Defense Counterintelligence Command commander Yeo In-hyung was sentenced to 15 years, and former Drone Operations Command commander Kim Yong-dae was sentenced to 3 years with a 5-year suspended sentence.

The court found all four defendants, including former President Yoon, guilty on all counts. The court stated, “The drone infiltration operation over Pyongyang can be recognized as an operation intended to create the conditions for martial law, and it cannot be regarded as a legitimate military operation based on self-defensive measures” and “Such an operation provided North Korea with a pretext for provocation, caused civilian and military harm from armed clashes, and infringed upon the military interests of the Republic of Korea.”

It continued, “Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Yong-hyun deliberately created an emergency in order to use the authority to declare martial law, which should only be exercised according to military necessity” and concluded, “This runs directly counter to the authority granted to the defendants, and by clothing it in the appearance of a legitimate operation, they used soldiers for private ends and betrayed the basic trust that military force would be used for legitimate purposes.”

They were indicted on charges of repeatedly sending drones into Pyongyang, North Korea from around October 2024 to incite attacks against the South. The allegation of drone deployments over Pyongyang was among the most important subjects of clarification for the special counsel team on insurrection led by Cho Eun-seok.