Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been sentenced to life in prison on charges of rebellion over his attempt to put the country under military rule.
The Seoul Central District Court found the 65-year-old guilty of leading an insurrection in the failed bid.
Judge Jee Kui-youn said he found Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilising military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the liberal-led National Assembly, arrest politicians and establish unchecked power for a "considerable" time.
Yoon imposed martial law in South Korea in December 2024, but it was overturned within hours by parliament and 11 days later he was impeached.
The conservative former career prosecutor argued he had presidential authority to declare martial law and that his action was aimed at sounding the alarm over opposition parties' obstruction of government.
Masterminding an insurrection carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty, which prosecutors sought, or life imprisonment under South Korean law.
In January, prosecutors had said Yoon's "unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law undermined the function of the National Assembly and the Election Commission … actually destroying the liberal democratic constitutional order".
It is the most consequential court ruling yet for the ousted leader, whose bid triggered a national political crisis and tested democratic resilience.
The ousted leader has faced eight separate trials and has already been convicted to five years in jail on other charges.
There was a strong police presence at the Seoul Central District Court, which tried the case, with police buses forming a security cordon around the building.
As Yoon arrived in court, hundreds of police officers watched closely as Yoon supporters rallied outside the judicial complex, their cries rising as the prison bus transporting him drove past.
Yoon's critics gathered nearby, and demanded the death penalty.
The Seoul court will also rule on the cases of seven former military and police officials who are accused of enforcing Yoon's martial law decree.
South Korea last handed down a death sentence in 2016, but has not executed anyone since 1997.
ABC with wires
