A South Korean court sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison over allegations related to a military drone operation targeting North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang.

The Seoul Central District Court in Seoul ruled he was guilty of abuse of power and assisting an enemy in connection with a drone mission carried out in October 2024, according to a report.

The court said on Friday he was involved from the beginning in the plan to send drones into North Korean airspace, which prosecutors said was linked to efforts tied to a failed plan to justify a martial law declaration in December 2024.

Yoon denies any wrongdoings.

His lawyers said he did not order or approve the drone operation and insisted the activity had nothing to do with martial law.

They also said it was in response to past North Korean actions, including balloon launches that sent waste material over the border.

Prosecutors had sought a 30-year sentence during the case earlier in April. The ruling adds to other legal problems for the former leader, who was the country’s top prosecutor before entering politics.

The Constitutional Court supported his impeachment, after which he was removed from office and a snap election brought liberal leader Lee Jae Myung to power.

He had already been sentenced to life in prison in a previous case on charges of insurrection related to the attempted coup under martial law, reports said.

Yoon is in custody at the moment and is expected to challenge the latest ruling through an appeal.

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