From martial law to life sentence: A timeline of Yoon's insurrection trial

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From martial law to life sentence: A timeline of Yoon's insurrection trial

Published: 19 Feb. 2026, 18:07

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

MICHAEL LEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Dec. 3, 2024 — President Yoon Suk Yeol declares emergency martial law at 10:27 p.m. The National Assembly votes to rescind it only hours later.

A rally urging President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment takes place outside the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Dec. 14, 2024. [YONHAP]

Dec. 14, 2024 — The National Assembly impeaches Yoon. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo becomes acting president.

President Yoon Suk Yeol heads into the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, shortly after his arrest on Jan. 15, 2025. [NEWS1]

Jan. 15, 2025 — The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials detains Yoon.

Police stand outside the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 26, 2025, after the prosecution indicted President Yoon Suk Yeol on insurrection charges. [YONHAP]

Jan. 26, 2025 — Prosecutors indict Yoon on a charge of leading an insurrection.

President Yoon Suk Yeol waves to supporters gathered outside the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi, on March 8, 2025, after his first arrest warrant was invalidated by a judge. [NEWS1]

March 8, 2025 — Prosecutors order Yoon’s release from Seoul Detention Center after the Seoul Central District Court invalidates his original arrest warrant on a technicality.

People outside President Yoon Suk Yeol's official residence in Yongsan District, central Seoul, celebrate upon hearing that the Constitutional Court dismissed him from office on April 4, 2025. [NEWS1]

April 4, 2025 — The Constitutional Court upholds Yoon’s impeachment in a unanimous 8–0 decision, removing him from office.

April 14, 2025 — The Seoul Central District Court begins Yoon’s trial on charges of masterminding an insurrection.

June 18, 2025 — A special counsel probe team takes over the investigation into Yoon’s martial law decree.

July 10, 2025 — The Seoul Central District Court issues a new arrest warrant for Yoon.

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk announces the findings of his probe into former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law decree at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Dec. 15, 2025. [NEWS1]

Dec. 14, 2025 — The special counsel probe team concludes its investigation.

Jan. 13, 2026 — The special counsel probe team requests the death penalty for Yoon on the charge of leading an insurrection.

Jan. 16, 2026 — The Seoul Central District Court sentences Yoon to five years in prison for abuse of power.

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrives at the Seoul Central District Court for the verdict hearing of his trial on insurrection charges on Jan. 21. [YONHAP]

Jan. 21, 2026 — The Seoul Central District Court sentences former Prime Minister Han to 23 years in prison for aiding an insurrection.

Feb. 12, 2026 — The Seoul Central District Court sentences former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min to seven years in prison for aiding an insurrection.

People place magnets describing what kind of punishment they believe former President Yoon Suk Yeol should receive during a rally at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on the morning of Feb. 19. [YONHAP]

Feb. 19, 2026 — The Seoul Central District Court sentences Yoon to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection.

Judge Ji Gwi-yeon reads the verdict at the trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and six other co-defendants at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 19. [YONHAP]

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]