Yoon Suk Yeol

Yoon Suk Yeol, who served as President of South Korea from 2022 to 2025, has faced multiple investigations and legal proceedings, culminating in a series of serious charges and convictions. In February 2026, he was sentenced to life in prison for leading an insurrection related to his declaration of martial law in December 2024, a case that drew significant attention (Reuters). Prior to this, Yoon was indicted in late 2025 on various charges, including receiving illegal political funds and attempting to manipulate investigations. Specifically, Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, were accused of receiving 58 opinion polls worth approximately 270 million won (around $186,000) between June 2021 and March 2022, in violation of the Political Funds Act. His wife was already indicted on the same charge, with a court verdict expected in January 2027 (Yonhap). Additionally, Yoon was indicted over allegations of interference in a Marine's drowning case, where he was accused of manipulating the investigation, and of abuse of power related to the incident (Yonhap). Yoon was also investigated for attempting to influence the outcome of opinion polls and was indicted for receiving free opinion polls in violation of campaign finance laws (Yonhap). Furthermore, he was grilled by special counsel over allegations of bribery involving his wife and over interference in a Marine's death case, with ongoing investigations and indictments extending into late 2025 (Yonhap). Notably, Yoon's arrest efforts in January 2025 were unsuccessful, marking the first attempt to arrest a sitting South Korean president in history, and he subsequently confined himself at his presidential residence (Wikipedia).