Yoon Suk Yeol - former South Korean president - is sentenced to life in prison but avoids the death penalty, in an insurrection case that has gripped the nation. He was found guilty of leading an insurrection linked to his brief declaration of martial law in December 2024.

Prosecutors called it an attempt to subvert the constitutional order by deploying troops around parliament and targeting political opponents.

In this bonus episode of Asia Specific, we examine why his attempt to impose martial law disturbed so many South Koreans and if the sentence will end a turbulent chapter in the country’s political history.

Host Mariko Oi is joined by Cho Hee-kyung, Professor of Law at Hongik University in Seoul, plus we hear from the BBC's Seoul correspondent Jake Kwon.

This episode was recorded on 19 February.

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Bonus: South Korea’s former leader convicted for insurrection

Asia Specific