By Fridah Mbuvi, June 12, 2026
A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of ordering a covert military drone operation over North Korea, in a ruling that also included convictions for treason, aiding the enemy and abuse of power.
The Seoul Central District Court delivered the judgment on Friday, concluding that Yoon authorised a clandestine drone incursion over Pyongyang in October 2024 with the intent of provoking North Korea and manufacturing a national security crisis.
According to the court, the alleged operation was part of a broader scheme to fabricate wartime conditions that would justify a declaration of martial law, which was later briefly imposed on December 3, 2024. Prosecutors argued that the move amounted to a failed attempt to consolidate emergency executive powers under false pretences.
The ruling further stated that the drone operation led to a serious breach of national security after some of the unmanned aircraft reportedly crashed inside North Korean territory, exposing sensitive military intelligence and operational capabilities.
Several senior officials were also handed heavy prison sentences in connection with the case. Former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun received a 30-year sentence, while former Defence Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung was sentenced to 15 years for their roles in executing the operation.
The court said the coordinated actions constituted a grave violation of state security and international law, noting that the operation escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula and compromised classified defence systems.
Yoon’s conviction adds to a series of existing legal penalties. He is already serving a life sentence imposed in February 2026 after being found guilty of leading an insurrection linked to the failed martial law declaration, and has separately received a five-year sentence for document fabrication and obstruction of justice.
His legal team has dismissed the latest ruling as unfounded, describing the allegations as “speculative fiction” and maintaining that the drone activity was a defensive response to North Korea’s ongoing provocations, including the launch of propaganda balloons into South Korean territory.
