Overview
- Seoul Central District Court convicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol and imposed a five-year sentence in a first-instance ruling for obstructing an arrest and infringing ministers’ deliberative rights.
- The court found Yoon ordered Presidential Security Service officials at the Hannam-dong residence to block execution of a lawful arrest warrant, effectively turning public servants into “private soldiers.”
- Judges emphasized that invoking extraordinary powers heightens duties to notify the Cabinet and convene the State Council, concluding that Yoon violated procedural safeguards.
- Editorial analyses argue the ruling reinforces the rule of law by affirming that presidential authority is constrained by constitutional processes.
- Political reactions split along partisan lines, with supporters alleging judicial overreach and critics calling the outcome necessary, as Yoon’s stance was described as defiant and unrepentant.