Key facts
- Five former South Korean military commanders received prison sentences for their involvement in a 2024 martial law bid.
- Yeo In-hyung, former commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, was sentenced to 18 years.
- Lee Jin-woo, former chief of the Capital Defense Command, received a 15-year sentence.
- Moon Sang-ho, former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command, was sentenced to 12 years.
- Former Army Chief of Staff Park An-su received a 10-year sentence.
- Kwak Jong-keun, former commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, was sentenced to nine years.
A Seoul court on Monday handed down severe prison terms to five former military commanders for their involvement in a failed martial law bid initiated by former President Yoon Suk Yeol in December 2024. The sentences reflect the court's finding of guilt on multiple charges, including deploying troops to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission, and organizing arrest teams for politicians.
Yeo In-hyung, formerly the commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, received the longest sentence of 18 years. Lee Jin-woo, ex-chief of the Capital Defense Command, was sentenced to 15 years. Moon Sang-ho, former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command, received 12 years, while former Army Chief of Staff Park An-su, who acted as the martial law commander, was given 10 years. Kwak Jong-keun, former commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, received a nine-year term.
The special counsel's team had initially sought much harsher penalties, requesting 30-year terms for Yeo and Lee, a 25-year term for Park, and 20-year terms for Kwak and Moon. In a separate legal proceeding, the court dismissed the special counsel's indictment against Rep. Lim Jong-deuk of the People Power Party on charges of power abuse related to a 2023 personnel appointment at the presidential Office of National Security, ruling that the matter fell outside the scope of the investigation into the martial law bid.