A South Korean court on Monday sentenced former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae to 25 years in prison for his role in former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s controversial declaration of martial law in December 2024, deepening the legal fallout from one of the country’s most severe political crises in recent history.
The Seoul Central District Court found Park guilty of participating in an insurrection linked to Yoon’s short-lived attempt to impose military rule, according to court proceedings shared online.
Delivering the judgment, presiding judge Lee Jin-gwan said Park’s actions contributed to a situation that threatened the constitutional order and the fundamental rights of South Korean citizens.
“The country nearly faced a situation in which the people’s fundamental rights and the basic order of liberal democracy could have been violated,” Lee said.
The court noted that Park, who served as justice minister at the time, disregarded warnings from officials who questioned the legality of the martial law declaration issued on December 3, 2024.
Prosecutors told the court that Park convened a meeting of senior justice ministry officials shortly after the declaration and reviewed prison capacity in preparation for possible arrests of political opponents and anti-government figures.
They argued that the former minister had turned legal institutions into instruments of an unlawful power grab, describing his actions as an abuse of authority that undermined the rule of law. Although prosecutors requested a 20-year prison term, the court imposed a harsher 25-year sentence.
Park had remained free throughout his trial but was taken into custody immediately after the ruling.
The conviction is the latest in a series of high-profile cases stemming from Yoon’s failed martial law order, which lasted only six hours before lawmakers forced their way into the National Assembly and voted to overturn it during an emergency session.
Yoon has already been convicted of leading an insurrection and is currently appealing a life sentence. Earlier this month, he was also handed an additional 30-year prison term after being found guilty of ordering drone operations into North Korea in an alleged attempt to create a national security crisis and justify the imposition of martial law.
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The dramatic events triggered nationwide protests, rattled financial markets and surprised key allies, including the United States.
Several members of Yoon’s inner circle have also received lengthy prison sentences. Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is serving a 15-year term, while former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min was sentenced to nine years behind bars.
Last week, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun received a three-year prison sentence for disclosing classified military information linked to the failed insurrection.
Separately, Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, is serving a four-year prison term after being convicted on charges of stock manipulation and bribery unrelated to the martial law case.
The convictions mark a sweeping judicial response to the events surrounding the failed declaration, which many analysts describe as the gravest challenge to South Korea’s democratic system in decades.