A former justice minister in South Korea has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the 2024 martial law crisis linked to ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol.

The Seoul Central District Court handed down the ruling on Monday, finding Park Sung-jae guilty of insurrection-related offences tied to the brief declaration of martial law in December 2024.

Court records show the emergency order, issued late at night by Yoon Suk Yeol, lasted around six hours before lawmakers forced its reversal in a rapid parliamentary vote.

Prosecutors argued that Park, as justice minister at the time, supported preparations for potential arrests of government critics in the early hours after the declaration and took part in internal discussions on detention capacity.

Judge Lee Jin-gwan said the conduct risked undermining fundamental rights and democratic order, noting that officials had ignored legal concerns raised during internal meetings.

Park was taken into custody immediately after sentencing. Prosecutors had sought a 20-year term, but the court imposed a longer sentence, citing the seriousness of the offence.

The wider case has already seen multiple senior figures jailed, including former prime minister Han Duck-soo and ex-interior minister Lee Sang-min, while former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun also received a prison term for related disclosures.

Yoon Suk Yeol is currently detained and appealing a separate life sentence connected to the same political crisis.

The martial law declaration triggered nationwide protests in 2024 and caused sharp market disruption before being swiftly overturned.