Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 19, 2026
5 min readLast updated: April 3, 2026
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On Feb 19, 2026, a Seoul court gave ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol a life term for leading an insurrection after a six-hour martial law in Dec 2024. This timeline tracks the steps from decree to impeachment and removal.
SEOUL, Feb 19 (Reuters) - A South Korean court sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison on Thursday, for leading an insurrection when he declared a brief episode of martial law in December 2024.
Although it lasted only about six hours, Yoon's attempt to impose martial law sent shockwaves through a country long viewed as one of Asia's most resilient democracies.
Here are key events since Yoon's martial law declaration.
December 3, 2024: Shortly before 10:30 p.m. (1330 GMT), Yoon declares on national television he is imposing martial law to root out "anti-state forces" and overcome political deadlock.
A military decree an hour later bans activity by political parties and lawmakers, while troops and police descend on the opposition-controlled parliament, where staffers use barricades and fire extinguishers to ward off special operations soldiers.
Lawmakers hop fences to avoid the security cordons as protesters gather.
December 4: With 190 lawmakers present, parliament votes unanimously in the early hours to reject Yoon's declaration and troops begin to leave. About 3-1/2 hours later, Yoon lifts martial law. The decree lasted about six hours.
Opposition parties submit a motion to impeach Yoon, who "badly misjudged" his decision to declare martial law, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell says.
December 7: Yoon addresses the nation to apologise, saying he will put his fate in the hands of his ruling People Power Party (PPP), but does not say he will resign.
A vote to impeach Yoon fails as a PPP boycott deprives parliament of a quorum.
December 8: Prosecutors name Yoon as the subject of a criminal investigation over the martial law attempt. Former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun is arrested.
December 10: Kwak Jong-geun, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, tells a parliamentary panel that Yoon gave an order to "drag out" lawmakers from parliament after declaring martial law.
December 12: Yoon says he will "fight to the end", accusing neighbouring North Korea of hacking the South's election commission and expressing doubt over his party's landslide election defeat in April.
December 14: Parliament impeaches Yoon with the backing of 204 of the 300 lawmakers in the one-chamber parliament. At least 12 PPP members vote to impeach.
Yoon's presidential powers are suspended, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo becomes acting president.
December 16: The Constitutional Court begins reviewing the impeachment case.
December 27: Parliament impeaches acting President Han. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok becomes acting president.
December 31: A Seoul court approves an arrest warrant after Yoon failed to appear for questioning. Yoon's lawyers call the warrant illegal and invalid, saying investigators lack the authority.January 3-15, 2025: Authorities try, but fail, to arrest Yoon during clashes with presidential security and military troops inside his compound. Yoon finally agrees to turn himself in after a local court extends the arrest warrant.
January 21: Yoon attends his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court. When questioned by a justice, he denies ordering military commanders to drag lawmakers out of parliament.
January 26: Prosecutors indict Yoon on insurrection charges and ask that he be kept in custody.
March 9: Yoon is released from detention after a court cancels his arrest warrant.
April 4: The Constitutional Court rules that Yoon violated his constitutional duty and removes him permanently from office.
April 27: The liberal Democratic Party names its former leader and 2022 presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung as its candidate for a new election.
June 3: Lee is elected president in a snap election.
July 10: Yoon is back in jail after a court approves the special prosecutor's request to detain him.
August 13: Yoon's wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, is detained after a court approves an arrest warrant, making the pair the first presidential couple behind bars in Korea's history.
August 29: Special prosecutors indict former first lady Kim on bribery and other charges.
October 10: Special prosecutor indicts Han Hak-ja, the leader of South Korea's Unification Church, on accusations that she directed bribes to former first lady Kim.
November 10: Special prosecutor indicts Yoon on more charges over martial law, including aiding an enemy state.
November 26: Special prosecutor seeks a 15-year jail term for ex-Prime Minister Han on charges of abetting insurrection and committing perjury.
December 15: Special prosecutor says Yoon tried to provoke North Korea into mounting an armed aggression to justify his martial law declaration.
January 13, 2026: Special prosecutor requests the death penalty for Yoon on insurrection charges.
January 16: Seoul Central District Court sentences Yoon to five years in prison on charges that include obstructing arrest bids.
January 21: The same court jails former Prime Minister Han for 23 years for engaging in a key action of insurrection.
January 28: Seoul Central District Court hands a 20-month jail sentence to former first lady Kim for accepting bribes.
February 12: The same court sentences former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min to a seven-year jail term for his role in martial law bid.
February 19: Seoul Central District Court sentences Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison for leading an insurrection.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee, Heejin Kim and Josh SmithEditing by Jack Kim, Ed Davies and)
A Reuters-style timeline tracing how former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol went from a brief martial law declaration in Dec 2024 to a life sentence on Feb 19, 2026.
He announced martial law on Dec 3, 2024. Parliament rejected it in the early hours of Dec 4, ending the decree after roughly six hours.
Lawmakers impeached him on Dec 14, 2024, and the Constitutional Court permanently removed him from office on Apr 4, 2025.
Following a snap election on Jun 3, 2025, Lee Jae Myung was elected president.
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