South Korea’s Yoon gets 30 years in prison for North Korea drone incident

A South Korean court on Friday (Jun 12) sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of unauthorised drone operations over North Korea. The judge ruled that Yoon planned the action as a pretext for his disastrous martial law declaration in 2024. The judgment comes months after the ousted president was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of insurrection.

The ruling marks another dramatic chapter in the political downfall of the former leader, who has faced multiple legal challenges since leaving office. Prosecutors have alleged that the drone flights were not routine military activities but part of a broader effort to create tensions with North Korea during a period of domestic political uncertainty.

Investigators have said that the operation involved drones crossing into the airspace of North Korea in 2024. Authorities claimed the mission risked escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and was carried out without proper justification. Prosecutors further alleged that the resulting security concerns were later used to support extraordinary political measures at home.

The incident, which happened two months before Yoon suspended civilian rule, sparked outrage from Pyongyang, which also accused its neighbour of dropping propaganda leaflets.

According to the judge, Yoon intended to provoke Pyongyang “into carrying out armed or equivalent acts against South Korea’s military of people,” AFP reported, citing a summary of the ruling.

The court accepted key parts of the prosecution’s case, concluding that the actions amounted to an abuse of presidential authority and endangered national security interests. Judges said the operation had the potential to trigger a serious cross-border confrontation and undermine public trust in state institutions.

Yoon planned to “heighten inter-Korean military tensions and manufacture a national crisis” so his martial law could have been justified, they added.

Yoon rejected the accusations throughout the proceedings. His legal team argued that the charges were politically motivated and maintained that any military decisions made during his presidency were intended to safeguard national security in response to threats from North Korea. He insists that he declared martial law “solely for the sake of the nation.”

The case has attracted widespread attention across South Korea, where relations with Pyongyang remain a highly sensitive issue. Political analysts say the verdict is likely to deepen divisions between supporters and critics of the former president while reigniting debate over executive power and military decision-making.

Yoon is expected to challenge the ruling through the appeals process. However, the conviction represents one of the most significant legal judgments against a former South Korean leader in recent years and underscores the intense scrutiny facing public officials accused of misusing state power.