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Yoon Suk Yeol

Yoon Suk Yeol

Former President of South Korea (2022-2025)

Appears in 2 stories

Notable Quotes

"I will eradicate anti-state forces threatening the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea." — December 3, 2024, martial law address

"Anti-state" forces required extraordinary measures. — Yoon’s stated rationale, widely reported

Stories

South Korea's former president faces death penalty for self-coup

Rule Changes

Sentenced to 5 years in prison (appealing), facing death penalty request in separate insurrection trial

South Korea hasn't executed anyone in 28 years. On January 13, 2026, prosecutors asked a Seoul court for former President Yoon Suk Yeol's death sentence; three days later, another court handed down a five-year sentence for obstruction of justice—the first of eight verdicts from his December 3, 2024 martial law declaration.

Updated May 21

South Korea fires its top cop for backing Yoon’s martial-law bid

Rule Changes

Removed from office (April 2025); facing insurrection-related prosecutions; verdict set for January 16, 2026

South Korea just made the quiet part of the 2024 martial-law crisis unmistakably loud: the country's top police officer is out for good. On December 18, 2025, the Constitutional Court removed National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho, ruling he helped former President Yoon Suk Yeol's power grab by using police to block lawmakers from reaching the National Assembly floor.

Updated May 15