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South Korean Ex-Justice Minister Jailed for 25 Years in Latest Conviction Over Failed 2024 Martial Law Decree
Park Sung-jae is the latest of several of Yoon Suk Yeol’s cabinet to have been convicted and sent to prison for their roles in the martial law imposition.
Former South Korean Justice Minister Park Sung-jae arrives for his trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, on June 22, 2026. Kim Ju-hyung/Yonhap via AP
South Korea’s ex-justice minister, Park Sung-jae, has been jailed for 25 years, in the latest conviction of ministers from the former conservative government in the aftermath of the failed 2024 martial law declaration.
The Seoul Central District Court on June 22 found Park guilty of helping ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to carry out the Dec. 3, 2024, decree, saying he played a key role in an attempted power grab.
Park was found guilty of charges including ordering ministerial officials to assess detention capabilities at prisons in the event of arresting and holding politicians.
He was also found to have ordered immigration authorities to prepare to impose travel bans, and to have instructed officials to be prepared to send prosecutors to support possible investigations into political opponents over claims of liberal-led election fraud.
Judge Lee Jin-gwan said that Park’s role would have been critical, had Yoon succeeded in maintaining the martial law order and removed his political opponents.
“The defendant ultimately turned his back on his duty of upholding the Constitution at the idea that the insurrection could succeed, choosing to instead take part in it,” the court said, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Park’s legal team said they would be appealing the sentence, as it was “a ruling not supported by the facts or legal principles.”
Ex-President’s Multiple Convictions
Yoon attempted to impose martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, but backed down after six hours after the parliament voted to overturn the decree.
He said at the time that he was seeking to protect the constitution because the opposition, which controlled the National Assembly, was sympathetic to communists and North Korea.
The former president is facing eight trials in total related to the martial law imposition.
His first conviction came on Jan. 16, when Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of mobilizing the presidential security service to prevent authorities from detaining him, fabricating official documents, and failing to follow the legal process required for declaring martial law. He was sentenced to five years, but that was increased to seven years in April.
South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 11, 2025. Lee Jin-man/Pool/AP Photo
Yoon was convicted on Feb. 19 of the major charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating an insurrection, with the same court sentencing him to life imprisonment. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, a sentence that has not been carried out in South Korea since 1997 and since the introduction of a moratorium on capital punishment in 1998.
The conservative politician’s third conviction came on June 12, where he was sentenced to 30 years in prison after the court found him guilty of ordering the flying of drones over Pyongyang, North Korea, in October 2024 to provoke the North Korean regime and manufacture a security crisis to use as a pretext for his declaration of martial law.
Yoon and his legal team deny all charges and are appealing the convictions.
Other Cabinet Ministers Jailed
Park is the latest of several of Yoon’s cabinet to have been convicted and given prison sentences for their roles in the martial law imposition.
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced on Jan. 21 to 23 years in prison for insurrection over his involvement in the martial law decree, but that was later reduced to 15 years.
Ex-Interior Minister Lee Sang-min to was sentenced to seven years in prison in February after being found guilty of taking part in the December 2024 insurrection by relaying orders to the police and fire services to cut water and power to media outlets critical of Yoon’s policies.
Former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun was jailed for 30 years for his role in mobilizing the military to enforce martial law, and also received a separate 30-year sentence for his part in planning the drone flights over Pyongyang.
Yoon’s Wife Also Convicted
Yoon’s wife, former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, has also been convicted of crimes and handed jail terms, though they are unrelated to her husband’s trials, with investigators having said she was not involved in the former president’s martial law decree.
On Jan. 28, Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kim Keon Hee to one year and eight months in prison for corruption, after finding her guilty of receiving luxury gifts, including a Chanel bag and a Graff diamond necklace, from the Unification Church, in exchange for promises of political favors.
South Korea's former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, wife of former president Yoon Suk Yeol, arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review her arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors, in Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 12, 2025. Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP
The court initially acquitted Kim of other charges, including stock price manipulation and violations of the political funding law, citing a lack of evidence among its reasons.
Both Kim and prosecutors appealed the ruling, and on April 28, the Seoul High Court raised her jail term to four years after convicting her of the stock manipulation charge and of receiving another Chanel bag from the Unification Church.
Victoria Friedman is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of international stories, with a particular interest in technology, eastern Europe, and defense.
