A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison after convicting him of abuse of power and plotting insurrection over his attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty in the closely watched case, which unfolded amid deep political divisions in the country.

The ruling marks the most severe penalty so far against the ousted leader, whose bid to declare martial law triggered a national political crisis and tested the strength of South Korea’s democratic institutions.

In January, prosecutors said the “unconstitutional and unlawful emergency martial law undermined the functions of the National Assembly and the Election Commission, effectively destroying the liberal democratic constitutional order.”

There was no immediate comment from Yoon’s legal team following the verdict.