On February 19, 2026, a South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection through his imposition of martial law in December 2024. This ruling is the harshest in South Korea's democratic era, with the court characterizing Yoon's actions as an attempt to disrupt the constitutional order and establish unchecked power. The verdict was delivered by a three-judge panel of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 25, marking a significant moment in the country's political history, as it reflects the severity of Yoon's actions that plunged the nation into its most serious constitutional crisis in decades (South China Morning Post, NPR). Notably, Yoon is the first elected head of state in South Korea's democratic era to receive such a maximum custodial sentence (The Guardian).