▲ This file photo, provided by the Seoul High Court, shows former President Yoon Suk Yeol (C) attending a hearing on charges of obstructing police arrests at the court on April 29, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

ex-president-court ruling

Court set to rule on ex-President Yoon's drone infiltration charges this week

SEOUL, June 7 (Yonhap) -- A court is set to deliver its verdict this week on former President Yoon Suk Yeol's charges of ordering drone incursions into Pyongyang during his tenure as a pretext to declare martial law, officials said Sunday.

The Seoul Central District Court will hold the hearing for Yoon on Friday on charges that include benefiting the enemy and abuse of authority, according to judicial officials.

Yoon is accused of ordering the South Korean military to fly drones over Pyongyang in October 2024 as a pretext to declare martial law on Dec. 3 the same year.

A special counsel team led by Cho Eun-suk earlier demanded a 30-year prison term for Yoon.

The court is also expected to rule on former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun; Yeo In-hyung, former head of the Defense Counterintelligence Command; and Maj. Gen. Kim Yong-dae, former chief of the Drone Operations Command.

The former defense minister, who is accused of leading the drone operation at the time, was charged with abuse of authority and destruction of military installations, among others.

The special counsel team claimed the drone infiltration led to heightened military tensions between the Koreas and resulted in the leak of military secrets.

Yoon was sentenced to life in prison for his botched martial law bid in a court ruling in February, in what marked the first ruling on the case.

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