Former South Korean interior minister Lee Sang-min sentenced to seven years for his role in the 2024 martial law crisis and perjury.
SEOUL: A South Korean court sentenced former interior minister Lee Sang-min to seven years in prison for his role in the 2024 martial law crisis.
The Seoul Central District Court found Lee guilty of insurrection and perjury on Thursday.
The court ruled he instructed authorities to cut electricity to media outlets critical of then-president Yoon Suk Yeol during the crisis.
Yoon had abruptly declared military rule in December 2024, deploying armed troops to the National Assembly in Seoul and suspending civilian government.
“Acts of insurrection undermine the core values of democracy and therefore warrant severe punishment,” a panel of judges said in a televised verdict.
“By ordering the National Fire Agency to cooperate in cutting off electricity and water supplies to media organisations, the defendant took part in the insurrection,” the panel added.
The court also convicted Lee of perjury for denying he had issued such orders in earlier legal proceedings.
Yoon will front court on February 19, facing insurrection charges that could carry the death penalty.
The 65-year-old was impeached and removed from office in April last year.
