A special group of prosecutors has demanded that the former president of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, be sentenced to 30 years in prison. He is accused of aiding the enemy for organising the sending of military drones towards Pyongyang.
WHAT IS KNOWN
According to the news agency Yonhap, in October 2024, Yoon Suk Yeol and his team allegedly organised the launch of drones towards the capital of North Korea. This event was part of a broader context related to the former president's attempt to impose martial law in South Korea.
"Because of this criminal act, the country's military interests were seriously undermined, as substantial damage was caused to national security," the prosecutors stated.
The prosecutors claim that this move led to increased tensions between the two states, as well as the leakage of military secrets when one of the drones crashed on North Korean territory. At the time, Pyongyang accused Seoul of several attempts to infiltrate drones into the country and also published images of one of the crashed drones.
CHARGE AGAINST THE FORMER DEFENCE MINISTER
Alongside the charge against the ex-president, the prosecution is also seeking 25 years in prison for the former defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, on a similar charge.
CONTEXT
The case against Yoon Suk Yeol is linked to his actions in 2024 when he declared martial law in South Korea. On 3 December 2024, Yoon Suk Yeol stated in a televised address the need to protect the constitutional order from "anti-state forces". However, parliament overturned the martial law regime six hours later.
On 14 December 2024, Yoon Suk Yeol was formally impeached. 204 out of 300 lawmakers voted in favour of this decision.
On 30 December 2024, the investigation team requested an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol.
In April 2025, South Korea's Constitutional Court finally removed him from office. In July of the same year, the court again issued an arrest warrant for the former president over new episodes related to the attempt to impose martial law.
Furthermore, in January 2026, the court found Kim Keon-hee — Yoon Suk Yeol's wife — guilty of receiving Chanel handbags and a Graff necklace from a representative of the Unification Church and sentenced her to 1.8 years in prison.
In February 2026, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment for organising a rebellion. Meanwhile, a number of other criminal cases against the former president are under investigation, proceedings for which are ongoing, with the prosecution requesting separate sentences.