South Korea's 'Blue House Curse' - When Presidents are imprisoned

South Korea has the highest presidential conviction rate in the world, with jail and criminal investigations haunting holders of the nation's top job after they leave office, a phenomenon often described as the 'Blue House Curse.'

Since the country transitioned to democracy in 1987, nearly every former president has faced criminal investigation, imprisonment, or personal tragedy following their term in office.

The most recent conviction involves the first life sentence handed to a democratically elected leader for an attempt to subvert the constitutional order.

On February 19, 2026, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment.

The court convicted him of leading an insurrection and subverting the constitution.

The case originated from Yoon’s declaration of emergency martial law on December 3, 2024.

During a six-hour decree, he deployed military troops and police to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting.

The court determined this was an illegal attempt to paralyse the legislature and consolidate personal power.

Yoon became the first sitting president in South Korean history to be taken into custody while in office.

In a separate trial concluded on January 16, 2026, he was also sentenced to five years for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and falsification of documents.

He is currently serving his life sentence.

Park Geun-hye, the country's first female president, was impeached and removed from office in March 2017.

She was arrested shortly after on charges of bribery, coercion, and abuse of power.

The prosecution proved that Park colluded with her long-time confidante, Choi Soon-sil, to extort millions of dollars from major conglomerates, including Samsung.

In 2018, she received a 24-year sentence, which was later increased to 25 years.

The court also ordered her to pay a fine of KRW 20 billion (Sh2.1 billion).

After serving nearly five years in prison, Park received a presidential pardon on December 31, 2021, on compassionate grounds due to her deteriorating health.

She was released and remains free.

Lee Myung-bak, a former chief executive of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, was arrested in March 2018.

He faced 16 criminal allegations, primarily focused on bribery and embezzlement during his presidency.

Investigators found that Lee used a private company, DAS, to create a slush fund of approximately USD 21 million (Sh2.7 billion).

He was also convicted of accepting bribes from Samsung Electronics in exchange for a presidential pardon for the company’s chairman.

In 2020, the Supreme Court upheld a 17-year prison sentence and a fine of KRW 13 billion (Sh1.4 billion).

On December 27, 2022, President Yoon Suk Yeol granted Lee a special pardon as part of a move toward national unity.

He was released after serving approximately four years of his jail term.

Roh Tae-woo was the first president elected under the current democratic constitution.

In 1995, he was arrested for his role in the 1979 military coup and the 1980 Gwangju Massacre, which resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths.

He was also charged with amassing a secret political fund of USD 650 million (Sh84 billion) through bribes from business leaders.

In 1996, the court sentenced him to 22.5 years in prison, a term later reduced to 17 years on appeal.

Roh served two years before receiving a pardon in December 1997 from President Kim Young-sam.

He died on October 26, 2021, at the age of 88.

Chun Doo-hwan, a former military general who seized power in a 1979 coup, faced trial alongside his successor, Roh Tae-woo, in 1995.

He was the primary architect of the military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Gwangju.

Chun was initially sentenced to death for mutiny, treason, and bribery.

His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the High Court.

Like Roh Tae-woo, he was pardoned in December 1997 as an act of national reconciliation.

Despite his pardon, Chun remained a controversial figure until his death on November 23, 2021.

He never formally apologised for the Gwangju Massacre and died owing millions in unpaid fines related to his corruption convictions.