Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 20th apologized for the "suffering" caused to the public by declaring a state of emergency in 2024.
Yoon Suk-yeol issued a statement through his lawyer on the 20th: “Although I was determined to save the nation, due to my own mistakes, I have brought disappointment and suffering to the people, for which I deeply apologize.”
On the afternoon of the 19th, the Seoul Central District Court delivered its first-instance verdict in the case of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is accused of being the ringleader of an insurrection, sentencing 65-year-old Yoon to life in prison.
The court found that Yoon Suk-yeol declared a state of emergency on December 3, 2024, and deployed the military around the National Assembly area. These actions were deemed to have the intent to suppress the legislative body by force and constituted a major violation of the constitutional order.
In his statement on the 20th, Yoon Suk-yeol criticized the court's ruling as "unacceptable," but did not reveal whether he would appeal.