Former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s first-instance verdict regarding the Pyongyang drone operation charges will be announced on Friday. The special prosecutor’s team, led by Jo Eun-seok, previously recommended a 30-year prison sentence for Yoon.
The Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 36, under Judge Lee Jeong-yeop, will convene on that morning to deliver the sentencing for Yoon’s charges of general treason and abuse of authority.
The court will also hand down sentences for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, charged with general treason, obstruction of official duties by deception, and issuing false orders and reports. Additionally, former Army Counterintelligence Command Chief Yeo In-hyung faces charges of general treason and abuse of authority, while former Drone Operations Commander Kim Yong-dae is accused of instigating the destruction of military property and leaking classified information.
The sentencing will not be televised. Despite the case being eligible for broadcast, the court has reportedly decided to forgo live coverage of the verdict and reasoning, citing national security concerns.
Yoon and his co-defendants stand accused of dispatching drones to Pyongyang in an alleged attempt to provoke North Korean aggression, creating a pretext for declaring martial law on December 3.
Prosecutors contend that Yoon and his associates orchestrated the drone infiltration with the explicit intent of manufacturing conditions for a state of emergency, surpassing the bounds of a standard military operation. They argue that the drone’s crash in Pyongyang resulted in tangible military consequences.
During closing arguments last April, prosecutors pushed for a 30-year prison term for Yoon and 25 years for the former defense minister. They also sought 20-year and 5-year sentences for the two former commanders, respectively.