South Korea’s courts are set to deliver the first verdict against former president Yoon Suk Yeol later this week, marking a key milestone in a series of trials arising from his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024, the Yonhap News Agency reports.

The Seoul Central District Court is due to issue its ruling on January 16 in a case focused on obstruction of official duties and related offences. The charges stem from allegations that Yoon sought to block investigators from detaining him in January of 2025, sidelined several cabinet members by excluding them from deliberations on the martial law plan, and oversaw the drafting and subsequent destruction of a revised proclamation after the decree was withdrawn.

The ruling will be the first of eight cases involving the former leader to reach sentencing. Separate proceedings, including a high-profile trial over accusations that Yoon orchestrated an insurrection through his martial law declaration, are continuing and are scheduled for judgment next month.

Prosecutors have argued that Yoon misused state institutions to shield himself from scrutiny and pressed for a lengthy prison term in this initial case and death in others. In court, Yoon has defended his actions, maintaining that the use of presidential security to prevent his detention was justified and within the bounds of protecting the office.

The outcome is being closely watched, not least because of its implications for the remaining cases. These include further investigations led by special prosecutors into alleged corruption linked to his wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, and accusations of interference in an inquiry into the 2023 death of a marine. Together, the proceedings represent one of the most extensive legal reckonings faced by a former South Korean president in recent years.