President Donald Trump could face a lengthy prison sentence if he attempts to interfere with the November midterm elections, to a new analysis that draws comparisons to a president who tried to seize power and is now serving life in prison.

Writing in The Nation on Thursday, Paul Loeb and South Korean activist Jungmin Choi pointed to the downfall of then-South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose failed December 2024 martial law declaration ended in mass protests, impeachment and a life sentence for insurrection. The authors argue that Yoon's fall from grace illustrates why Americans should resist any attempt by Trump or his administration to refuse to accept the election results.

"How do you stop a would-be dictator? The first requirement is knowing that it's possible," they wrote.

Yoon declared martial law on December 3, 2024, banning political activity and sending troops into the National Assembly. Protesters fought back by surrounding the building, and lawmakers forced their way past military forces to overturn the decree. Demonstrations grew to more than a million people within days, and Yoon was impeached and removed from office.

In February 2026, Yoon was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of leading an insurrection. He escaped the death penalty and has filed multiple appeals against his conviction. The court found that he attempted to obstruct lawmakers from carrying out their constitutional duties by sending armed forces to the legislature.

"It is sufficient to conclude that there was intent to obstruct or paralyze the Assembly's functions for a considerable period," Judge Ji Gwi-yeon said.

Loeb and Choi detail five lessons for Americans from Yoon's failed attempt to seize power. They include the importance of voting, public resistance and encouraging the military to refuse illegal orders. The authors referenced the six US senators and House members with military and national security backgrounds who released a video last November urging the military to reject unlawful commands.

The effort to safeguard an election does not end once ballots are cast, the authors add, noting that local authorities, the courts and ordinary citizens may all have a part to play if an administration tries to obstruct the process. "But massive, immediate nonviolent protest will also be essential," they wrote.

They also stress the importance of protecting voting sites. "For the US midterms, most points of contestation will be local: Citizens and local governments need to protect polling places and vote-counting centers, including having police protect them from disruption," they write.

In the United States, they note, "power gets consolidated in stages." Alongside legal challenges, protest organizations such as Indivisible and No Kings have conducted poll monitoring and Hands Off the Vote trainings.

The analysis follows the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and Trump's subsequent pardons of the insurrectionists, developments that have led many to fear what he may do if he doesn't hold on to power.