People watch a live TV broadcast of the trials of former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol at Seoul Station in Seoul, South Korea, on January 16, 2026. Yoon has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges including the obstruction of investigators' attempt. Photo: VCG

Former impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday on charges that included the obstruction of investigators' attempt to detain him last year, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence in the first ruling on charges stemming from Yoon's short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Judges convicted Yoon on charges including infringement of ministers' constitutional right to deliberate on the imposition of martial law, aggravated obstruction of the execution of a lawful warrant, and the fabrication and destruction of official documents, the Korea Times reported on Friday.

Yoon appeared in court wearing a white dress shirt and a navy suit jacket. As he entered the courtroom, his expression was tense, the Korea Times reported.

Pinned to the left side of Yoon's chest was a tag printed with his detention number "3617." Upon entering the courtroom, he bowed slightly toward the bench before taking his seat, per Yonhap.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun, the presiding judge, chastised Yoon during the hearing, which was attended by the jailed former president and televised live. "He effectively privatized the armed forces through public servants of the Presidential Security Service who are loyal to the Republic of Korea, for his personal safety and interests," he said.

The sentence was half of what special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team had requested last month, Yonhap News reported. The judge said the absence of previous criminal offenses was among the mitigating factors in the sentence, though the "nature of the crimes was very bad" and Yoon showed no remorse.

During the sentencing, Yoon, seated in the defendant's seat, exhibited signs of unease, such as frequent blinking, according to Yonhap News.

The judge said Yoon was guilty of all charges except those related to to the rights of two of the nine Cabinet members and the order to distribute false press statements.

The Korea Herald reported that after the ruling was read and Yoon was dismissed, the former president appeared calm. "He walked across the courtroom aisle, briefly stopping at its center to bow toward the judge before leaving," per the report.

Yoon's lawyers said they would immediately appeal, claiming the court's decision was "unacceptable" and not based on facts established during the investigation.

The Friday court ruling made the headlines of domestic South Korean media outlets.

The Korea Herald noted that Friday's ruling is expected to serve as a precedent regarding the legality of the initial investigation into Yoon's alleged insurrection. A report from the Korea Times said that Yoon's conviction Friday "could influence the outcome of his other trials."

In addition, international media outlets including the BBC and Reuters have also covered this case.

Reuters noted the tight security measures outside the courthouse, saying that "there was a heavy police presence in and around the court that is only a few blocks from Yoon's upscale apartment in Seoul."

Friday's sentence marks the conclusion of the first trial among four insurrection-related cases against the former president. However, Yoon still faces a total of seven additional trials and rulings, the Korea JoongAng Daily said.

Yoon faces seven further trials, with sentencing on the insurrection charge scheduled for February 19, according to the Korea Herald.

Global Times