Former South Korean Justice Minister Gets 25-year Prison Term For Role In Martial Law Declaration

SEOUL — A erstwhile South Korean justness curate was sentenced to 25 years successful situation connected Monday aft a tribunal recovered him blameworthy of helping ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol transportation retired his little declaration of martial rule successful 2024.

The Seoul Central District Court said it was clear Park Sung-jae played a cardinal domiciled successful Yoon’s attempted powerfulness drawback pursuing nan declaration of martial rule connected Dec. 3, 2024, including ordering ministry officials to measure detention capacities astatine correctional accommodation to hole for arrests of politicians.

Park besides instructed officials to see sending prosecutors to Yoon’s martial rule bid to support imaginable investigations into nan erstwhile blimpish leader’s governmental opponents and his unsubstantiated claims astir liberal-led predetermination fraud. Park besides ordered migration authorities to beryllium prepared to enforce recreation bans, nan tribunal said.

Yoon’s martial law, which followed a yearslong standoff pinch liberals controlling nan legislature, lasted only astir six hours earlier lawmakers collapsed done a blockade of soldiers Yoon dispatched to nan National Assembly and voted to overturn it, forcing Yoon’s Cabinet to assistance nan measure.

Judge Lee Jin-gwan said Park abandoned his work to uphold nan constitution and rule by taking portion successful Yoon’s authoritarian push. He described Yoon’s martial rule decree arsenic a “self-coup” by an incumbent leader seeking to monopolize power. He said Park’s domiciled would person been captious had Yoon succeeded successful suppressing and removing his governmental opponents and preventing nan legislature from demanding nan lifting of martial law.

Park had denied nan charges, saying he was simply carrying retired duties required during a nationalist emergency. Park’s lawyers didn’t instantly opportunity whether they would appeal.

Yoon was impeached and suspended from agency connected Dec. 14, 2024, earlier being formally removed by nan Constitutional Court successful April 2025. He was arrested successful July 2025, and aggregate criminal tests are ongoing.

The Seoul tribunal earlier sentenced Yoon to life successful situation connected rebellion charges. In a abstracted case, Yoon received a 30-year word for allegedly ordering drone flights complete Pyongyang successful October 2024 to manufacture tensions pinch North Korea and warrant declaring martial rule astatine home. Yoon has appealed some verdicts.

Park is nan latest of respective members of Yoon’s Cabinet to person situation sentences for roles successful nan martial rule imposition.

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun received a 30-year word for his cardinal domiciled successful mobilizing nan subject to enforce martial rule and seeking nan arrests of Yoon’s governmental opponents, arsenic good arsenic a abstracted 30-year condemnation for readying drone flights complete Pyongyang.

Ex-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was initially sentenced to 23 years connected charges that included attempting to lend procedural legitimacy to Yoon’s decree by securing its support done a general Cabinet meeting, but an appeals tribunal later reduced his condemnation to 15 years.

Tong-Hyung writes for nan Associated Press.