Ex-military commanders get severe prison terms for martial law roles

A Seoul court on Monday sentenced five former military commanders to heavy prison terms for their roles in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed 2024 martial law bid. The Seoul Central District Court gave Yeo In-hyung 18 years, Lee Jin-woo 15 years, Moon Sang-ho 12 years, Park An-su 10 years, and Kwak Jong-keun nine years. The court said they were guilty of sending troops to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission and organizing arrest teams for politicians after Yoon’s Dec. 3, 2024 declaration. In a separate trial, it dismissed the special counsel’s indictment of Rep. Lim Jong-deuk.

The special counsel had sought 30-year terms for Yeo and Lee, a 25-year term for Park, and 20-year terms for Kwak and Moon.

Park An-su served as the martial law commander.

The court dismissed the indictment of Rep. Lim Jong-deuk of the main opposition People Power Party.

Lim was accused of abusing power over a personnel appointment at the presidential Office of National Security in 2023, but the court ruled the case fell outside the special counsel team’s mandate.

Published Sep 21, 2026 4:54 pm KST

From left, Yeo In-hyung, former commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command; Lee Jin-woo, former chief of the Capital Defense Command; Kwak Jong-keun, former commander of the Army Special Warfare Command; and Moon Sang-ho, former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command / Yonhap

A Seoul court on Monday sentenced five former military commanders to heavy prison terms over their roles in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed 2024 martial law bid.

The Seoul Central District Court handed out an 18-year prison term for Yeo In-hyung, former commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, and a 15-year term for Lee Jin-woo, former chief of the Capital Defense Command.

It also gave a 12-year term for Moon Sang-ho, former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command, a 10-year term for former Army Chief of Staff Park An-su, who served as the martial law commander, and a nine-year term for Kwak Jong-keun, former commander of the Army Special Warfare Command.

The court found the defendants guilty of multiple charges, including sending troops to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission and organizing and operating arrest teams for politicians after Yoon's martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024.

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team had sought 30-year terms for Yeo and Lee, a 25-year term for Park, and 20-year terms for Kwak and Moon.

In a separate trial, the court dismissed the special counsel's indictment of Rep. Lim Jong-deuk of the main opposition People Power Party on charges of power abuse over a personnel appointment at the presidential Office of National Security in 2023.

The special counsel team charged Lim, who served as second deputy national security adviser at the time, of unfairly hiring a military officer for a position at the office's national crisis management center.

The court ruled the indictment fell outside the team's investigation mandate, which focuses on allegations stemming from former Yoon's failed 2024 martial law bid.

首尔一家法院周一判处五名前军事指挥官重刑，罪名是他们在前总统尹锡烈2024年试图实施戒严令失败一事中扮演的角色。首尔中央地方法院判处吕仁亨18年、李镇宇15年、文相浩12年、朴安洙10年、郭钟根9年有期徒刑。法院称，他们在尹锡烈于2024年12月3日发表戒严声明后，派遣军队前往国会和国家选举委员会，并组织逮捕小组抓捕政治人物。在另一起案件中，法院驳回了特别检察官对国会议员林钟德的起诉。

特别检察官曾要求判处 Yeo 和 Lee 30 年监禁，Park 25 年监禁，Kwak 和 Moon 20 年监禁。

朴安洙曾担任戒严令指挥官。

法院驳回了对主要反对党国民力量党议员林钟德的起诉。

林某被指控在 2023 年滥用职权，干预总统国家安全办公室的人事任命，但法院裁定此案超出特别检察官小组的职权范围。

发布于2026年9月21日下午4:54（韩国标准时间）

从左至右：前国防反情报司令部司令吕仁亨；前首都防卫司令部司令李镇宇；前陆军特种作战司令部司令郭钟根；前国防情报司令部司令文相浩 / 韩联社

首尔一家法院周一判处五名前军事指挥官重刑，罪名是他们在前总统尹锡悦2024年失败的戒严令尝试中扮演的角色。

首尔中央地方法院判处前国防反情报司令部司令吕仁亨18年有期徒刑，判处前首都防卫司令部司令李镇宇15年有期徒刑。

判决还判处前国防情报司令部司令文相浩 12 年任期，前陆军参谋长、曾任戒严令司令的朴安洙 10 年任期，以及前陆军特种作战司令部司令郭钟根 9 年任期。

法院认定被告犯有多项罪行，包括在尹锡悦于 2024 年 12 月 3 日宣布戒严令后，向国民议会和国家选举委员会派遣军队，以及组织和运作逮捕政治人物的队伍。

特别检察官赵恩硕的团队曾寻求判处吕和李30年监禁，朴25年监禁，郭和文20年监禁。

在另一起审判中，法院驳回了特别检察官对主要反对党国民力量党议员林钟德的起诉，该起诉指控其在2023年总统国家安全办公室的人事任命过程中滥用职权。

特别检察官小组指控当时担任国家安全顾问第二副手的林某不公平地聘用了一名军官担任该办公室国家危机管理中心的职位。

法院裁定，该起诉超出了该团队的调查权限，该团队的调查重点是源于前尹锡悦 2024 年戒严令失败的指控。