South Korean ex-leader jailed for five years in first martial law verdict

A South Korean judge sentenced former President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday to five years in prison for obstructing justice and other crimes linked to his martial law declaration and in its chaotic aftermath. It is the first in a series of verdicts for the ex-leader, whose brief suspension of civilian rule in South Korea on December 3 2024 prompted massive protests and a showdown in parliament. Now ousted from power, he faces multiple trials for actions taken during that debacle and in the turmoil that followed.