Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to 30 years in prison on June 12 for ordering a military drone operation into North Korean airspace near Pyongyang in October 2024 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of general treason, abuse of power, and obstructing the exercise of rights [1, 4, 5, 8, 9]. The court ruled the drone operation had no legitimate military purpose related to national defense but was aimed at provoking North Korea to justify imposing martial law on December 3, 2024 [4, 5, 8].
The court stated, "被告等人為了營造緊急戒嚴情勢，利用軍事行動的外衣，引誘北韓作出挑釁反應," meaning the defendants used military action as a facade to lure North Korea into provocation in order to create an emergency martial law situation [8]. The martial law declared by Yoon on December 3 lasted only six hours and triggered a major political crisis including impeachment [2, 7].
Co-defendants included former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was also sentenced to 30 years, and former military counterintelligence commander Ryu In-hyuk, who received a 15-year sentence [4, 5, 7, 8, 9]. The drone operation caused a leak of military secrets regarding operational plans and combat strength after the drones crashed near Pyongyang [1, 5].
Yoon’s lawyers denied he gave prior or post approval for the drone operation. They argued it was a legal self-defense response to North Korean balloon provocations and not linked to martial law, stating the drone action "既沒有事先下令，也沒有事後批准" and was a "合法的自衛行為" [5].
Yoon was previously convicted in February 2026 for leading an insurrection and sentenced to life imprisonment, with an appeal pending [2, 5, 6, 7]. In April 2026, he was sentenced to an additional 7 years for obstruction of arrest, up from 5 years in the first trial [5, 6, 7].
According to special prosecutors’ investigation on November 10, 2025, Yoon ordered the drone mission around October 2024 [1, 5, 6, 7]. The case marks the latest in a series of legal actions against the former president tied to his controversial military orders and political maneuvers during his tenure.
