# South Korea's Ex-President Yoon Gets 30 More Years for Ordering Secret Drone Flights Over North Korea

*2026-06-13 02:01 UTC · Other · 1 min read*

> A Seoul court sentenced South Korea's jailed ex-president to an extra 30 years for ordering drone flights over Pyongyang meant to justify his martial law bid.

South Korea's Seoul Central District Court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to an additional 30 years in prison on June 12, 2026, for authorizing secret military drone flights into North Korean airspace in October 2024. The court found Yoon guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy, ruling he had conspired from the outset to "fabricate wartime conditions" that would justify his controversial martial law declaration later that year.

Yoon, already serving a life sentence imposed in February 2026 for leading an insurrection after his failed martial law bid in December 2024, denied all wrongdoing. His lawyers argued he neither ordered nor approved the drone operation, framing it as a defensive response to North Korean balloon launches across the border. The Seoul court rejected those arguments, finding his involvement established from the beginning of the plot.

The ruling adds a further 30 years to the life sentence Yoon is already serving, deepening the political crisis that has gripped South Korea since his short-lived martial law declaration triggered mass protests, his impeachment, and eventual arrest. His lawyers have indicated they will appeal the latest verdict.

## Sources

- [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/12/south-koreas-ex-president-yoon-gets-30-years-over-drone-operation)
- [foxnews.com](https://www.foxnews.com/world/former-south-korean-president-yoon-suk-yeol-sentenced-30-years-over-north-korea-drone-flights)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/1820-south-korea-s-ex-president-yoon-gets-30-more-years-for-ordering-secret-drone
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/1893-jihokorejsky-exprezident-jun-dostal-dalsich-30-let-vezeni-za-tajne-vojenske