South Korea's ex-leader Yoon faces first court verdict over martial law chaos

FILE - Then South Korea's ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol who is facing charges of orchestrating a rebellion when he declared martial law on Dec. 3, arrives to attend his trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool, File)

SEOUL: A South Korean court will rule Friday on whether former president Yoon Suk Yeol (pic) obstructed justice during his disastrous martial law declaration and in its chaotic aftermath, the first in a series of verdicts for the disgraced ex-leader.

Yoon briefly suspended civilian rule in South Korea for the first time in more than four decades on Dec 3, 2024, prompting massive protests and a showdown in parliament.