A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of charges related to a military drone operation over Pyongyang that prosecutors said was aimed at creating a pretext for his failed declaration of martial law in December 2024.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul Central District Court convicted Yoon of abuse of power and aiding the enemy, ruling that he had been involved in planning and authorizing the October 2024 drone incursion into North Korean airspace from its inception.

The former president denied all allegations. His legal team argued that Yoon neither ordered nor approved the drone operation, maintaining that the mission was unrelated to the subsequent martial law declaration. Defense lawyers contended that the operation was conducted in response to repeated North Korean launches of balloons carrying trash across the border.

The ruling follows prosecutors' request in April for a 30-year prison sentence, marking another major legal setback for the ousted conservative leader and former prosecutor-general. Yoon's brief imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered South Korea's most severe political crisis in decades, sparking widespread protests and legal challenges.

The latest conviction comes months after a separate court sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment in February for leading an insurrection linked to the failed martial law bid. He was subsequently removed from office after South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, paving the way for a snap presidential election won by liberal candidate Lee Jae Myung.

Yoon, who remains in custody, is expected to appeal Friday's verdict.