ROK's Yoon apologizes after getting life sentence

SEOUL — The Republic of Korea's former president Yoon Suk-yeol apologized on Friday for the "hardship" caused by his 2024 martial law decree, one day after he was sentenced to life in prison for insurrection.

The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday found Yoon guilty of leading a December 2024 insurrection designed to "paralyze" the National Assembly.

Although Yoon acknowledged his bid to impose military rule had caused "frustration", he maintained it was a measure taken "solely for the sake of the nation".

"I deeply apologize to the people for the frustration and hardships I have caused them, due to my own shortcomings, despite my resolve to save the nation," Yoon said in a statement shared through his lawyer.

Yoon said the court's verdict was "difficult to accept", but did not give any indication as to whether he would appeal.

It was not clear when 65-year-old Yoon would be eligible for parole, though most inmates serving life terms can typically apply after 20 years.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled on Thursday that the crux of Yoon's martial law case was the fact that troops were deployed to the National Assembly. It stated that the impeached leader attempted to prevent the Parliament from functioning properly for a significant period.

"The court finds that the intention was to paralyze the assembly for a considerable period," presiding judge Ji Gwi-yeon told the court.

"The declaration of martial law resulted in enormous social costs, and it is difficult to find any indication that the defendant has expressed remorse for that," Ji said.

Harshest penalty

Prosecutors had sought the harshest penalty for Yoon's insurrection charges, urging the court to sentence him to death.

The Republic of Korea has an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment, with the last executions happening in 1997.

The emergency martial law was declared by Yoon on the night of Dec 3, 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.

The constitutional court upheld a motion to impeach Yoon in April, officially removing him from office.

Yoon was indicted under detention in January last year as a suspected ringleader of insurrection, becoming the country's first sitting president to be arrested and indicted.

AGENCIES - XINHUA