Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sending Drones to North Korea

A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk-yeol to 30 years in prison on charges of sending drones to North Korea. In the same case, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was also given a 30-year sentence, while the former head of the military intelligence agency received 15 years in prison. Yoon is already serving a life sentence for alleged rebellion linked to a failed military law enforcement attempt. Kathmandu, June 12.

The Seoul District Court found Yoon, along with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former Defense Counterintelligence Command chief Yo In-hyung, and former Drone Operation Command head Kim Yong-dae guilty of treason and abuse of power. The court handed Kim Yong-hyun a 30-year sentence, Yo In-hyung received 15 years, and Kim Yong-dae was sentenced to five years suspended alongside a three-year prison term. According to the court, they used the pretext of military operations with the intent to provoke North Korea, heightening the risk of military conflict.

Yoon’s lawyers argued that these measures were a ‘legal’ response to the ‘filthy’ propaganda balloons sent from North Korea. In 2024, North Korea had been protesting against hundreds of propaganda balloons launched from South Korea carrying messages. However, in the same year, tensions escalated when North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over its capital. The court noted that Yoon ordered the drone dispatch hoping to provoke a retaliatory strike from North Korea.