Seoul, June 12 -- A Seoul court on Friday sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of ordering drone infiltrations into North Korea in an alleged attempt to escalate inter-Korean tensions and justify the declaration of martial law in December 2024, Yonhap News Agency reported.

According to the Yonhap News Agency, in the ruling delivered by the Seoul Central District Court, Yoon was convicted on charges of benefiting the enemy and abuse of power. The sentence was in line with the punishment sought by special counsel Cho Eun-suk.

The court held that Yoon had directed the drone operation in October 2024 with the intention of provoking North Korea and using the resulting tensions a...