SOUTH KOREA EX-PRESIDENT YOON SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS FOR NORTH KOREA DRONE...

The Seoul District Court sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday for sending drones into North Korea. The court found Yoon, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former head of the Defence Counterintelligence Command Yeo In-hyung and former head of Drone Operations Commands Kim Yong-dae guilty of treason and abuse of power. Kim received 30 years, Yeo received 15 years, and Kim Yong-dae received three years with a five-year suspended sentence. The court determined that all three officials had provoked North Korea, increasing the risk of military conflict, with Yoon bearing "the greatest responsibility" for the operation.

Prosecutors contended that Yoon ordered the drone operation in October 2024 to provoke Pyongyang and create justification for his subsequent martial law declaration on 3 December. The court stated the defendants "used the guise of a military operation to induce provocations from North Korea with the aim of creating a state of emergency." Yoon's legal team argued his actions constituted a legitimate response to North Korea's "provocations with rubbish balloons," referring to hundreds of balloons North Korea had dropped in 2024 containing waste across the border. The operation involved drones that allegedly scattered propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang, which North Korea had described as an act of provocation potentially leading to war.

Yoon's martial law declaration lasted only hours before he rolled back the order amid mass public protests. He was subsequently impeached and is currently serving a life sentence for insurrection related to the failed martial law attempt. The court's ruling represents the second significant sentence imposed against the former president since his detention.