Yoon became the country’s third former president to stand trial on insurrection charges, following former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who were convicted for military coup and brutal crackdown under martial law.
The Seoul court merged three trials in December last year for eight suspects, including Yoon and seven other senior military and police officials, charged with performing critical duties in the insurrection.
The court handed former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun a 30-year prison sentence, convicting him of performing a significant role in the insurrection.
The special counsel team sought life imprisonment for Kim, whom it called a mastermind who planned and led the insurrection alongside Yoon by mobilizing the military.
Former Defense Intelligence Commander Noh Sang-won and former National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho received prison terms of 18 and 12 years, respectively, for their key roles in the insurrection.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 