Drones Flown Over North Korea Were Part of Martial Law Plot by Former South Korean President
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was convicted for ordering military drones to fly over North Korea to escalate tensions and justify martial law.
- Yoon, 65, has faced multiple criminal charges across eight trials since his impeachment and removal from office in 2024 for illegally imposing martial law.
- He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the drone operation, a charge related to undermining South Korea’s military interests and benefiting an enemy state, marking a historic first conviction for a former president on this crime.
- A Seoul Central District Court panel found that Yoon and his collaborators deliberately sent drones across the heavily fortified inter-Korean border to provoke North Korea and create a pretext for martial law.