00:00A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk-yeol to five years in prison,
00:16delivering the first criminal verdict linked to his failed attempt to impose martial law in 2024.
00:22The Seoul Central District Court ruled on Friday that Yoon obstructed authorities
00:27from executing an arrest warrant connected to his martial law declaration.
00:32The verdict was broadcast live and can be appealed.
00:35Judges also found Yoon guilty of fabricating official documents
00:39and failing to follow the legal process required to declare martial law.
00:43This is the first of several verdicts Yoon faces,
00:46as he stands trial in eight separate cases ranging from abuse of power and insurrection
00:50to campaign law violations.
00:52Yoon's brief martial law decree in December 2024 plunged South Korea into political turmoil
00:59and left the country deeply divided.
01:02Under South Korea's constitution, sitting presidents are immune from prosecution,
01:07except in cases of insurrection or treason.
01:10Prosecutors allege Yoon subverted the constitution by declaring martial law
01:15without war or a national emergency.
01:17He is accused of deploying troops and police to block the National Assembly
01:21and ordering the arrests of top political leaders
01:24to prevent lawmakers from overturning his decree.
01:28Yoon has said he acted to protect the country from anti-state forces sympathetic to North Korea,
01:33but prosecutors argue the move was driven by political survival.
01:38Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, calling Yoon unrepentant,
01:42though South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997.
01:46Former president Chun-Doo Hwan was once sentenced to death for insurrection,
01:51later reduced to life in prison and eventually pardoned,
01:54a precedent now shaping debate around Yoon's fate.
01:58Legal experts warn a death sentence could turn Yoon into a political martyr
02:01and deepen divisions.
02:04Yoon also faces charges for obstruction of justice
02:07after mobilising security officers to block his arrest,
02:10forcing authorities to deploy nearly 3,000 police officers.
02:14Prosecutors say Yoon used state institutions for personal purposes,
02:19undermining constitutional checks and balances.
02:23Additional trials will examine accusations that Yoon attempted to provoke North Korea,
02:28committed perjury, interfered in elections,
02:30and obstructed other investigations.
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