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South Korea’s former president still faces criminal charges of leading an insurrection when he declared martial law. If found guilty, he could be imprisoned for life.
- April 4, 2025Updated 7:04 a.m. ET
Yoon Suk Yeol’s political career may be over, but his troubles are not.
Ex-President Yoon, a former prosecutor, was removed from office by the Constitutional Court on Friday. But he still faces criminal charges of leading an insurrection over his short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3. A separate trial on those charges began in February and is ongoing.
Prosecutors say that Mr. Yoon committed insurrection when he banned all political activities and ordered military commanders to break the National Assembly’s doors down “with axes” or “by shooting, if necessary” and “drag out” lawmakers.
Mr. Yoon has repeatedly rejected the claims of orchestrating an insurrection. He said that he declared martial law to protect the nation from “anti-state forces” who infiltrated the government.
If the court finds Mr. Yoon guilty, he could face a long prison term. But many of South Korea’s former imprisoned presidents, including Park Geun-hye, who was convicted of bribery, have ended up being released early. Ms. Park was pardoned in 2021 by then-president Moon Jae-in, less than five years into her 20-year prison term.
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The criminal case will not be directly affected by the Constitutional Court ruling that upheld his impeachment.
