A court in Seoul has determined that Yoon Suk Yeol's failed effort to implement martial law in 2024 while president constituted incitement of an insurrection. According to Yonhap News Agency, the ruling was issued by the Seoul Central District Court, which is the first judicial ruling in the case.

The court ruled that Yoon's attempt at ceasing the National Assembly's operations followed his deployment of military forces to the parliamentary region following his martial law proclamation. Prosecutors have called for the death penalty, and the court is expected to announce the sentence separately, Yonhap News Agency reports.

According to the BBC though, Yoon has been handed a life term in prison in connection with the insurrection case. The presiding judge also ruled that he was guilty of abuse of authority.

The Chosun Daily also reports that tensions were high near the courthouse on February 19, prior to the first instance sentencing hearing. From early in the morning, the area around the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District was heavily secured. Dozens of police buses were positioned at the front of the main entrance, creating a barrier. Roads connecting the nearby intersection to both the court and the Central District Prosecutors’ Office were closed off using safety fencing, and barriers were set up at crosswalks to restrict access for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Around 1,000 officers from 16 mobile police units were deployed across Seocho-dong to manage potential unrest. By morning, roughly 30 Yoon supporters had assembled, chanting slogans such as “Yoon Again” and calling for the indictment to be dismissed. Some waved South Korean and US flags and held signs reading “Not Guilty”. A number had maintained a sit in protest since the previous afternoon.

Across the barricades, dozens calling for a severe penalty, including the death sentence, assembled. Verbal clashes erupted, but police stopped them escalating. This ruling marks a significant point in the development of South Korea's democracy, and this specific case has put the country's political systems to the test, while also intensifying differences between opposing groups.