South Korean authorities charged President Yoon Suk Yeol with insurrection for his brief imposition of martial law on December 3, 2024. The country’s main opposition party, the Democratic Party, admitted that Yoon was charged as the “ringleader” of the uprising.
This is important because insurrection is one of the few crimes South Korean presidents cannot avoid even with immunity laws. This crime has received strong penalties, which include life imprisonment or even death penalties. However, they have not been executed in the country for decades.
Impeachment and Legal Process against Yoon
Public outrage and a fierce parliamentary debate erupted after Yoon declared martial law. Opposition lawmakers opposed Yoon’s declaration, which they deemed too harsh for an edict that lasted only about six hours. The declaration was rescinded when soldiers armed with guns and body armor stormed into the parliament building and fought with parliamentarians.
The scandal saw Yoon become the second conservative president in South Korea’s history to be impeached by an opposition-led parliament on December 14, 2024. He was also arrested on January 15, 2025, as a sitting president, making him the first-ever detained in South Korea while under criminal investigation.
Legal Proceedings and Constitutional Court Ruling
Yoon’s defense team maintained that the declaration of martial law was not a full-scale implementation but simply an order to end the political impasse in this country. His impeachment case is currently pending before the Constitutional Court, which has 180 days to decide whether to remove him from office or restore his presidential authority.
This is in addition to the political unrest in South Korea getting worse. Discussions concerning the limits of presidential power and the function of the opposition in politics have been sparked by his indictment.
