South Korean court gives Yoon 30‑year term for drones

A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday, June 12, 2026, convicting him of orchestrating a covert drone operation over North Korea to fabricate a pretext for his failed 2024 declaration of martial law. The Seoul Central District Court also convicted Yoon's former defense minister, Kim Yong Hyun, in the same case, sentencing him to 30 years as well.

The court found that Yoon and Kim conspired from the outset to conduct multiple drone flights over Pyongyang in October 2024, which dropped anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets. Prosecutors argued the operation was designed to provoke a military response from North Korea, thereby creating a heightened state of tension that Yoon could use to justify imposing martial law domestically. The court ruled the incursions harmed South Korea's military interests and were carried out for private political purposes unrelated to national security.

This verdict adds to the legal consequences for the ousted conservative leader. In February 2026, Yoon was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of leading an insurrection related to the martial law declaration itself. He was removed...