South Korean Ex‑Justice Minister Jailed 25 Years Over Role in Failed Martial Law Declaration
A South Korean court has sentenced former Justice Minister Park Sung‑jae to 25 years imprisonment for his role in the failed martial law declaration by ex‑President Yoon Suk Yeol in December 2024.The Seoul Central District Court found Park guilty of insurrection, holding that his actions as justice minister facilitated an attempt to undermine democratic governance. According to the presiding judge, Park ignored warnings from ministry officials about the illegality of the martial law declaration and instead prepared prison facilities for potential arrests of anti‑government figures.
Judge Lee Jin‑gwan stated: “Due to the actions of the defendant, the country nearly faced a situation in which the people’s fundamental rights and the basic order of liberal democracy could have been violated.”Prosecutors argued that Park reduced the law to a mere tool of insurrection, abusing his office and challenging the rule of law. Although they sought a 20‑year sentence, the court imposed a harsher 25‑year term, reflecting the gravity of his role. Park, who had been on trial without detention, was taken into custody immediately after the verdict.
The martial law declaration itself lasted only six hours before lawmakers convened an emergency session to strike it down. Nevertheless, it triggered mass protests, destabilised financial markets, and shocked South Korea’s allies, including the United States.
Ex‑President Yoon Suk Yeol has already been convicted of leading an insurrection and sentenced to life imprisonment, alongside a separate 30‑year term for orchestrating drone incursions into North Korea to manufacture a crisis that would justify martial law.
Other senior officials in Yoon’s administration have also received heavy sentences: Han Duck‑soo, former Prime Minister, 15 years; Lee Sang‑min, former Interior Minister, 9 years; Kim Yong‑hyun, former Defence Minister, 3 years for leaking classified military information; Kim Keon Hee, Yoon’s wife, 4 years for stock manipulation and bribery (unrelated to martial law).
