More than 12,000 South Korean citizens have filed a class-action lawsuit against former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, seeking damages for the emotional distress caused by the martial law declaration in December 2024. The lawsuit, filed on Monday at the Seoul Central District Court, is the first to name both the former president and first lady as co-defendants.
According to a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, each of the 12,225 claimants is seeking 100,000 won (approximately $72) in compensation. The legal filing argues that Yoon’s declaration of martial law was a “deliberate and unlawful act” that violated people’s constitutional rights and instilled fear of a dictatorship. It further alleges that Kim Keon Hee acted as an accomplice, pressuring her husband to impose martial law to avoid legal scrutiny over her own scandals.
This mass legal action follows a previous court ruling last month, which ordered Yoon to pay 100,000 won each to 104 plaintiffs in a separate case for emotional harm caused by the martial law declaration. Yoon has appealed that initial ruling.
Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly and subsequently removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April 2025 following his controversial martial law decree. He is currently facing other criminal charges related to the incident.