South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Fights For Survival Amid Legal Battles And Impeachment Drama

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is embroiled in a series of legal battles as he struggles to salvage his political career—and avoid prison—following his brief and controversial imposition of martial law last year.

Yoon’s December 3 decree plunged the nation into chaos when he banned political activity and deployed troops to the heart of South Korea’s democracy. But within six hours, he was forced to retract the move after lawmakers stormed parliament and unanimously voted to block it.

The order triggered public outrage, reviving painful memories of past authoritarian regimes that stifled freedoms until South Korea’s transition to democracy in the late 1980s. Even members of Yoon’s own conservative ruling party turned against him. By December 14, parliament had impeached him, suspending his presidential powers.

Despite this, a defiant Yoon has vowed to “fight to the end” as South Korea’s top court reviews his impeachment. He is also battling a separate criminal trial for insurrection.

Yoon’s Impeachment Trial: What’s at Stake?

The Constitutional Court is now weighing whether to permanently remove Yoon from office or reinstate him. The case, which has seen testimony from high-ranking officials, is shaping up to be one of the most significant legal battles in the nation’s history.

Parliament’s lawyers argue that reinstating Yoon could lead to another martial law attempt or further destabilization of democratic institutions. In contrast, Yoon insists he had the authority to impose martial law, claiming it was necessary due to political deadlock and threats from “anti-state forces” sympathetic to North Korea.

His legal team also contends that he never intended to shut down parliament, despite publicly issuing the decree and deploying troops. Yoon further justified sending soldiers to the National Election Commission, citing unproven concerns over election hacking—claims dismissed by election officials.

A ruling is expected in March. If the court upholds the impeachment, Yoon would go down as South Korea’s shortest-serving president, having taken office in May 2022. A new presidential election would be required within 60 days.

More crucially, impeachment would strip Yoon of immunity from most criminal charges, opening the door for further legal trouble.

What Other Charges Does Yoon Face?

In addition to impeachment, Yoon has been indicted for insurrection—a rare and severe charge in South Korea that carries a potential life sentence or even the death penalty, though no executions have been carried out in decades.

He was arrested in January after a tense standoff between investigators and his presidential security team, and he has been held in solitary confinement at a detention center near Seoul ever since. Prosecutors allege that Yoon’s martial law decree was an illegal attempt to dissolve the National Assembly and detain opposition leaders and election officials.

Yoon insists his decree was merely a warning to the liberal opposition and that he always intended to respect lawmakers’ decision to overturn it. His legal team has repeatedly claimed his arrest was politically motivated and that procedural errors invalidate the warrant.

His criminal trial is expected to drag on for months, with a verdict unlikely before late 2025 or early 2026. Meanwhile, his lawyers have petitioned for his release from custody, though legal experts say such appeals are rarely successful.

Inside Yoon’s Trial: Shocking Testimonies and Power Struggles

The impeachment proceedings have exposed dramatic details about how Yoon and the military executed their short-lived martial law order.

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun testified that he, not Yoon, initially proposed the decree, drafting a sweeping ban on political activity. The official decree explicitly outlawed all political gatherings, including those of the National Assembly, local councils, and political parties.

Both Yoon and Kim denied ordering military commanders to physically remove lawmakers from the National Assembly. However, former Army Commander Kwak Jong-geun testified that Yoon personally instructed him to “drag out” legislators. In response, Yoon’s defense team claimed there was a misunderstanding due to a linguistic mix-up, arguing that the Korean word for “lawmakers” was confused with a similar-sounding term for “agents” or “soldiers.”

Adding to the controversy, former Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Hong Jang-won testified that Yoon saw martial law as an opportunity to “arrest” 14 political and legal adversaries and “clean everything up”—an allegation Yoon strongly denies.

Is This the End of Yoon’s Legal Troubles?

Possibly not. In addition to impeachment and insurrection charges, Yoon is also under investigation for obstructing public duty, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

Police have been probing this case since January 3, and on December 31, a court issued an arrest warrant related to the criminal investigation over his martial law decree. However, it took investigators until January 15 to execute the warrant, as Yoon remained barricaded in his heavily fortified presidential compound, with security forces blocking access for days.

The political crisis has further destabilized the country. In the wake of Yoon’s downfall, parliament has also impeached Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo. With Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok now serving as acting president, South Korea remains in a state of political uncertainty as it awaits the final verdict on Yoon’s fate.