South Korean presidents have gained infamy for meeting untimely fates, whether death, imprisonment or suicide. And now, former president Yoon Suk-yeol is the latest addition to this list. Earlier today, the man whose presidency will go down in history for his abortive declaration of martial law on 3 December 2024 was sentenced to life in prison on account of masterminding an insurrection.

Supporters and detractors of South Korea’s thirteenth president gathered outside Seoul’s central district court to hear the fate of the leader they either loved or loathed – a fate which was also broadcast on live television to the Korean nation. This sight – and today’s decision – hammers home the fact that South Korean politics won’t become any less polarised anytime soon.

Today’s verdict saw Yoon Suk-yeol escape the death sentence, for which many of his prosecutors had called during his trial. Yet this not the end of the former South Korean president’s tribulations. Whilst being found guilty of an insurrection is the most serious of the charges against him, Yoon also faces additional serious charges: violating campaign law, perjury, and aiding an enemy state. The last is on account of allegations by prosecutors that Yoon ordered the illicit deployment of drones over North Korea to justify his decision to invoke martial law. The former president denies any wrongdoing. Yet who can forget when Yoon announced that South Korean democracy was........

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