South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol answers a reporter’s question during a press conference at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 7, 2024. Hong-Ji/Pool/Reuters
A South Korean court found former President Yoon Suk Yeol not guilty in an abuse-of-power case in which he was accused of appointing the former defense minister to an overseas diplomatic role to avoid a domestic criminal investigation.
Seoul Central District Court on Friday acquitted Yoon on multiple charges, including aiding a criminal’s flight, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The court rejected the case brought forward by the prosecution that the former president had appointed Lee Jong-sup as ambassador to Australia in November 2023, so that the ex-defense minister could evade an investigation into the death of a Marine earlier that year.
Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun died in July 2023 during an operation to help rescue people during heavy rain in Yecheon, which is around 100 miles southeast of the capital, Seoul.
Lee left for Australia in March 2024, but returned to Seoul a few days later because of the controversy surrounding the investigation.
The court ruled on Sept. 11 that the timing of Lee’s appointment could not definitively be considered an attempt to send the former minister abroad to avoid the investigation into Chae’s death.
Yoon had nominated Lee as ambassador months before learning in March 2024 that Lee was subject to a travel ban.
Seoul Central District Court also cleared five other former officials charged in the case, including former justice minister Park Sung-jae, and former national security adviser Cho Tae-yong.
Yoon’s lawyers welcomed the ruling; the prosecution said it would consider whether to appeal.
Martial Law Decree
The prosecution had initially sought a prison sentence of five years for Yoon, who is already serving a life sentence and other custodial sentences for a number of other convictions brought against him following his ouster.
Yoon was formally removed from office in April 2025, after his failed attempt to declare marital law on Dec. 3, 2024. He backed down after six hours following a parliamentary vote to overturn the decree.
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors in Seoul, South Korea, on July 9, 2025. Kim Hong-Ji/Pool/Reuters
The former president
saidat the time that he had declared martial law in order to protect the constitution because the opposition, which controlled the National Assembly, was sympathetic to communists and North Korea.
Other Trials
The first in a series of convictions for the former president came on Jan. 16, 2026, when Seoul Central District Court
foundYoon guilty of mobilizing the presidential security service to prevent authorities from detaining him.
He was also found guilty of fabricating official documents and failing to follow the legal process required for declaring martial law.
He was sentenced to five years, but the court increased it to seven years in April. On July 9, South Korea’s Supreme Court
upheldthis conviction and sentencing.
He was then convicted on Feb. 19 of violating the martial law decree and received a life sentence. Prosecutors had initially called for the death penalty, although there has been a moratorium on carrying out capital punishment since 1998.
The conservative politician’s third conviction came on June 12, when he was
sentencedto 30 years in prison after the court found him guilty of ordering the flying of drones over Pyongyang, North Korea, in October 2024 to provoke the North Korean regime and manufacture a security crisis to use as a pretext for his declaration of martial law.
Yoon was then
convictedon July 13 of accepting illegal political funds in the form of free opinion polls, and received a two-year prison sentence.
On July 27, the court handed Yoon an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for three years, for lying during an election campaign.
Yoon and his legal team deny all charges and are appealing the convictions.
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