Yoon Suk Yeol acquitted of perjury in Han Duck-soo insurrection trial
Synopsis
A Seoul court acquitted Yoon Suk Yeol of perjury on Thursday, finding his trial testimony could not be proven knowingly false — but the former president, already sentenced to life imprisonment in his main insurrection case, still faces seven other active trials. The acquittal is a narrow legal win in a sprawling judicial reckoning.
Key Takeaways
The Seoul Central District Court acquitted former President Yoon Suk Yeol of perjury on Thursday, 29 May 2025 .
Yoon was charged with giving false testimony during former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo 's insurrection trial regarding a Cabinet meeting convened before the 3 December 2024 martial law declaration.
The court ruled it could not establish Yoon's testimony contradicted his own memory, citing a 'high' possibility he planned the Cabinet meeting independently.
Special counsel Cho Eun-suk 's team had sought a two-year prison sentence on the perjury charge.
Yoon remains in custody since July 2024 and faces a total of eight trials , including a first-instance life imprisonment sentence for leading an insurrection.
A Seoul court on Thursday, 29 May 2025, acquitted former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol of perjury, ruling that his testimony during former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's insurrection trial did not demonstrably contradict his own memory. The verdict clears Yoon of one charge even as he remains imprisoned and faces seven other ongoing trials.
What the Court Ruled
The Seoul Central District Court found it difficult to establish that Yoon's testimony was knowingly false. The court noted a 'high' possibility that Yoon may have independently planned to convene a Cabinet meeting before declaring martial law on 3 December 2024, regardless of any suggestion by Han.
Yoon had been indicted in December 2024 on perjury charges after the special counsel team argued he initially had no intention of holding the Cabinet meeting and only changed course following Han's proposal — testimony the prosecution claimed was designed to make the martial law declaration appear procedurally lawful.
The Testimony at the Centre of the Case
During Han Duck-soo's trial in November 2024, Yoon appeared as a witness and was asked whether the then prime minister had proposed the Cabinet meeting specifically to give the martial law declaration a veneer of legitimacy. Yoon pushed back sharply, saying the question was loaded and stating, 'Cabinet members are not dolls who come to create an outward appearance.'
Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team had sought a two-year prison sentence for Yoon on the perjury charge, according to reports.
Yoon's Broader Legal Jeopardy
The acquittal offers limited relief. Yoon, who has been held in custody since July 2024, is currently facing a total of eight trials linked to his short-lived martial law bid, corruption allegations involving his wife, and the 2023 death of a Marine.
Most significantly, in the first-instance verdict of his main insurrection case, Yoon was sentenced in February 2025 to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection through the martial law attempt — one of the most severe judicial outcomes for a sitting or former South Korean head of state.
Context and What Comes Next
Yoon's martial law declaration on 3 December 2024 lasted only a matter of hours before the National Assembly voted to lift it, triggering a constitutional and political crisis that led to his impeachment and arrest. The perjury case was a secondary charge arising from his conduct during Han's separate trial.
With the life imprisonment verdict under appeal and seven other proceedings still active, Thursday's acquittal is unlikely to materially alter Yoon's legal trajectory. Observers will now watch the appellate proceedings in the main insurrection case as the most consequential next step.
Point of View
Not a turning point. Yoon's legal exposure is anchored in the main insurrection verdict — a life sentence that dwarfs any perjury charge. The court's reasoning, that his testimony may have reflected genuine memory rather than deliberate falsehood, is legally coherent but politically unremarkable given the weight of what he still faces. What the ruling does reveal is the complexity of prosecuting secondary charges in sprawling multi-trial proceedings: when the primary case already carries the gravest possible outcome, peripheral charges become difficult to sustain. South Korea's judicial system is now managing an unprecedented volume of proceedings against a single former head of state, and the risk of verdict fatigue — where acquittals on minor counts are misread as exoneration — is real.
NationPress
8 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Yoon Suk Yeol acquitted of perjury?
The Seoul Central District Court ruled it could not establish that Yoon's testimony during Han Duck-soo's trial was knowingly false or contrary to his own memory. The court found a 'high' possibility that Yoon had independently planned to convene the Cabinet meeting before declaring martial law, regardless of Han's proposal.
What was Yoon accused of saying falsely?
Yoon was accused of falsely implying during Han Duck-soo's insurrection trial that the Cabinet meeting held before the 3 December 2024 martial law declaration was his own initiative, when prosecutors argued he had no such plans until Han suggested it. The special counsel contended this testimony was designed to make the martial law bid appear procedurally legitimate.
What sentence did prosecutors seek for the perjury charge?
Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team requested the court sentence Yoon to two years in prison on the perjury charge. The court rejected that request with Thursday's acquittal.
What other legal cases does Yoon Suk Yeol still face?
Yoon is currently standing a total of eight trials connected to his failed martial law bid, corruption allegations involving his wife, and the 2023 death of a Marine. In the first-instance verdict of his main insurrection case, he was sentenced in February 2025 to life imprisonment.
What was South Korea's December 2024 martial law crisis?
On 3 December 2024, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, triggering a constitutional crisis. The National Assembly voted to lift it within hours. The episode led to Yoon's impeachment and subsequent arrest, and has since resulted in multiple criminal trials including the primary insurrection case in which he received a life sentence at first instance.
