Ex-South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol gets 30 years in drone case

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced former South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday, saying he ordered a drone operation into North Korea. The court said the move deliberately created a national emergency that was used as grounds to impose martial law in December 2024. Former defense minister Kim Yong Hyun, who was tried with Yoon, was also sentenced to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors said the operation worsened cross-border tensions and led to the leak of classified information after a drone crashed. Yoon's legal team denied that their client gave any order or approval, and said the operation was a lawful response to North Korea's trash balloons. Yoon is also appealing a life sentence in the rebellion case.