SEOUL, June 12 (UPI) — A Seoul court sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday after finding him guilty of ordering military drones to infiltrate North Korea in a bid to provoke tensions ahead of his short-lived martial law declaration in December 2024.

The verdict by the Seoul Central District Court matched the sentencing recommendation sought by special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk’s team on charges including aiding an enemy state and abusing his authority by using the military to advance his political aims.

North Korea accused Seoul in October 2024 of flying drones carrying propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang on three occasions, calling the incursions a “serious provocation.” South Korea’s military at the time said it could neither confirm nor deny the allegations.

The court found that Yoon and other senior officials orchestrated the drone operation in order to use an anticipated increase in cross-border tensions as a pretext for his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.

“Defendant Yoon Suk Yeol approved the operation in this case to create conditions that would justify declaring emergency martial law, believing that he could use such authority at will for his own political interests,” the court wrote in its decision.

The court also found that the operation “harmed the military interests of South Korea” by placing citizens and soldiers at risk, using military resources for private purposes and exposing the South’s military capabilities to North Korea.

Yoon’s legal team appealed the ruling later on Friday.

In addition to Yoon, the court sentenced former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to 30 years in prison and Yeo In-hyung, former head of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, to 15 years for their involvement in the operation. Kim Yong-dae, former chief of the Drone Operations Command, received a three-year sentence suspended for five years.

Yoon has faced a series of charges across eight separate trials since his impeachment and removal from office. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in February on insurrection charges tied to his brief declaration of martial law.

The former president declared emergency rule late on Dec. 3, 2024, citing threats from what he described as “shameless pro-North Korea anti-state forces.”

Lawmakers rushed to the National Assembly in the early hours and voted to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to rescind it during a subsequent Cabinet meeting.

The episode lasted roughly six hours but triggered months of political upheaval and deepened divisions across South Korea. Yoon was removed from office in April after the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld his impeachment.

Separate drone-related tensions have emerged in recent months following a series of incursions by civilian-operated drones, which drew a sharp protest from Pyongyang.

In April, President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over the incidents, prompting a rare conciliatory response from Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who described Lee as “frank and broad-minded,” though Pyongyang quickly reverted to its hardline stance.

Lee’s administration has sought to ease tensions with Pyongyang, including dismantling border propaganda loudspeakers and calling for renewed dialogue. The North has rejected such overtures, declaring the South the “most hostile state” and continuing to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.