South Korea’s Would-Be Coup Leader Has Been Jailed for Life
Yoon Suk-yeol, the disgraced conservative president who tried to mount a coup against South Korea’s democracy in December 2024, has received a life sentence in prison. The popular resistance to Yoon shows the way for other countries facing authoritarian threats.
Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s impeached conservative president, was sentenced to life in prison on February 19 for insurrection. The court’s decision came 443 days after Yoon’s attempt to overthrow the constitutional order in a self-coup. (SeongJoon Cho / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The verdict is finally in. Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s impeached conservative president, was sentenced to life in prison on February 19 by a Seoul court for insurrection.
The court’s decision came 443 days after Yoon’s abrupt attempt to overthrow the constitutional order in a December 2024 self-coup. The effort collapsed within six hours as a unanimous legislature rejected it, and spontaneous protests erupted across Seoul.
Justice nevertheless remains incomplete, as the ruling is entangled with simmering political tensions that had been engulfing the country long before Yoon’s failed power grab.
Sorry, but this article is available to active subscribers only. Please log in or become a subscriber.