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Ex-President Yoon Gets 30 Years Over Pyongyang Drones

worldJun 14, 2026·334 words·3 min read

South Korea's ousted former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday for ordering drone flights over Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, in 2024. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the same term to his former defense minister, Kim Yong Hyun. Prosecutors argued that Yoon directed the flights to heighten tensions with North Korea and to manufacture a pretext for declaring martial law at home.

The trouble began in October 2024. North Korea said South Korea had sent drones over Pyongyang three times to drop paper messages. At first, South Korea would not clearly say yes or no. Tension grew quickly, but there was no fighting. Yoon's lawyers said the drone flights were a fair answer to North Korea. Earlier that year, North Korea had sent thousands of balloons full of trash into the South.

This new sentence is part of a big fall for the 65-year-old leader. In December 2024, Yoon shocked the country by declaring martial law on television. But it ended after about six hours. Lawmakers pushed past soldiers and voted to stop it. Yoon was removed from office and arrested in July 2025. He already had a life sentence for rebellion — trying to take control by force.

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