SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Former President Yun Seok-yeol has been sentenced to life in prison for briefly imposing martial law in December 2024.

Judge Gee Kui-yong said he found Yun guilty of sedition for mobilizing the military and police in an illegal attempt to seize the liberal-led National Assembly, arrest politicians and establish unrestricted power for a “substantial” period.

Mr. Yoon is likely to appeal the verdict.

The special prosecutor called for the death penalty for Yun, arguing that his actions posed a threat to the country’s democracy and deserved the heaviest punishment, but most analysts expect a life sentence because the ill-planned power grab caused no casualties.

South Korea has not executed a death row inmate since 1997, a move widely seen as a de facto moratorium on the death penalty amid growing calls for its abolition.

As Yun arrived in court, hundreds of police watched closely as his supporters rallied outside the judicial complex, shouting as the prison bus carrying him passed. Yun’s critics gathered nearby and demanded the death penalty.

The court also convicted several former military and police officials involved in Yoon’s implementation of martial law, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for playing a central role in planning the measure and mobilizing the military.

Yun, a staunch conservative, has defended martial law as necessary to stop liberals, whom he calls “anti-national” forces, from blocking his policies through the legislative majority.

The decree lasted about six hours until a quorum of parliamentarians managed to break through the military blockade and unanimously voted to lift it.

Mr. Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024 after being impeached by members of the Diet, and was formally dismissed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. Mr. Yoon has been under arrest since July last year and is facing multiple criminal trials, with the sedition charge being the most severe punishment.

Last month, Yun was sentenced to five years in prison for resisting arrest, fabricating the declaration of martial law, and declaring the measures by bypassing the legally required full cabinet meeting.

The Seoul Central Court also convicted two of Yoon’s ministers in other cases. Among them is Prime Minister Han Do-soo, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison for trying to legitimize the ordinance by forcing it through the cabinet, falsifying records, and lying under oath. Mr. Han appealed the verdict.