 "South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol attends a sentencing trial on his insurrection charges at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul. AFP")
Thursday (February 19) saw the culmination of the 2024 martial law episode. A South Korean court declared former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law bid in 2024 an insurrection, sentencing the disgraced leader to life in prison.
Judge Jee Kui-youn of the Seoul Central District Court said he found Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilising military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the liberal-led Assembly, arrest politicians and establish unchecked power for a “considerable” time.
For those who don’t remember, Yoon declared martial law in a televised address in December 2024, saying drastic measures were needed to root out “anti-state forces”. And although Yoon’s bid to impose military rule lasted just six hours, it triggered widespread panic across the nation.
Yoon’s imprisonment follows a line of former South Korean leaders who have had their reputations marred or terms interrupted by scandal. Here’s a look at the shocking downfalls of former leaders of the fourth-largest economy in Asia.
Park Geun-hye: Impeached and jailed
South Korea’s first female president was impeached by Parliament in December 2016 and later imprisoned.
Park, the daughter of the former dictator Pak Chung-hee, had been in office since 2013 and had presented herself as incorruptible.
However, she was accused of receiving or requesting tens of millions of dollars from conglomerates, including electronics giant Samsung. Additional accusations included sharing classified documents, putting artists critical of her policies on a “blacklist,” and dismissing officials who opposed her.
In March 2017, the Constitutional Court confirmed her impeachment. She was given a 20-year prison sentence and steep fines in 2021, but at the end of that year, President Moon Ae-in, her successor, pardoned her.
Lee Myung-bak: 15 years in prison
The conservative predecessor of Park, Lee Myung-bak was in power from 2008 to 2013.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in October 2018 for corruption.
He was found guilty of having received around $10 million in illegal funds from Samsung in exchange for favours to the conglomerate’s then chairman, Lee Kun-hee, who had been convicted of tax evasion.
The court ruled that Lee had accepted bribes from some of South Korea’s largest companies, including Samsung, and the country’s intelligence service. In his defence, Lee claimed the firm belonged to his brother but the court ruled that he was the de-facto owner. “Bringing everything into consideration, heavy punishment for the accused is inevitable,” the court said.
However, his prison term was cut short when he received a pardon from President Yoon in December 2022.
Roh Moo-hyun: Suicide amid bribery probe
Born to a poor family, Roh Moo-hyun won the presidential election as an underdog in 2002. In office, he championed a so-called sunshine policy of engaging North Korea with trade and aid shipments.
After leaving office in 2007, he returned to his hometown in the south-east and ran a duck farm.
In 2009, Roh tragically took his own life by jumping off a cliff.
He was reportedly under investigation for allegedly receiving bribes from a wealthy shoe manufacturer, totalling $6 million, which was paid to his wife and the husband of one of his nieces.
Chun Doo-hwan: Jailed for massacre and corruption
In 1980, military commander Chun Doo-hwan gained power after a coup. He presided over a brutal military crackdown in the south-western city of Gwangju, which at the time was the centre of an uprising against martial law in South Korea.
In 1996, Chun was convicted of corruption and for his role in the Gwangju massacre. Defending the coup while on trial, Chun said he “would take the same action, if the same situation arose”.
Chun was handed a death sentence - which was later commuted to life imprisonment. However, he was pardoned in 1997 after serving just two years in prison.
Park Chung-hee: Assassinated
South Korea’s authoritarian dictator, Park Chung-hee was assassinated on October 26, 1979 by his own spy chief during a private dinner.
The shocking events have been long a subject of heated debate in South Korea, with many questioning whether the murder was premeditated.
In the aftermath of his death, army generals Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo seized the opportunity to plot a coup in December 1979, further plunging the country into political turmoil.
Yun Po-sun: Overthrown in a coup
In 1961, President Yun Po-sun was ousted in a military coup orchestrated by army office Park Chung-hee.
Although Yun was initially allowed to remain in office, Park effectively seized control of the government. Park later solidified his power by winning the 1963 election, ultimately replacing Yun as president.
Syngman Rhee: Forced to resign
South Korea’s first president, Syngman Rhee, was elected in 1948.
However, a large-scale student-led uprising in 1960 forced him to step down.
His effort to use rigged elections to prolong his term was the spark for the protests.
Following his resignation, Rhee was exiled to Hawaii, where he died in 1965.
With inputs from AFP