South Korea’s special prosecutor requested the death penalty for former president Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing him of orchestrating an insurrection through a brief declaration of martial law in December 2024.
In closing arguments at the Seoul Central District Court late on Tuesday, prosecutors said investigators had confirmed a plan allegedly led by Yoon and his former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, dating back to October 2023, aimed at preserving Yoon’s grip on power.
A prosecutor rejected Yoon’s justification for the move, telling the court: «Yoon claims to have committed emergency martial law to protect liberal democracy, but his unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law undermined the function of the National Assembly and the Election Commission, actually destroying the liberal democratic constitutional order.»
Prosecutors also criticised Yoon’s conduct during the trial, saying «the defendant has not sincerely regretted the crime or apologised properly to the people.»
Yoon, 65, shook his head and appeared to laugh as the sentencing request was read out, while some supporters in the courtroom also reacted noisily, prompting the judge to restore order.
Yoon denies wrongdoing
The attempted imposition of martial law lasted around six hours but sent shockwaves through South Korea, a major Asian economy and key United States ally long regarded as a stable democracy.
Yoon has denied all charges, telling the court through Yonhap that he acted to counter what he described as forces that would damage the nation. He has argued that declaring martial law fell within presidential authority and was meant to warn against obstruction by opposition parties.
The court is due to deliver its verdict on February 19. Prosecutors’ sentencing requests are not always upheld by judges.
Rare death penalty request
South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997, although courts have continued to issue death sentences. The last such sentence was handed down in 2016.
In a similar case in the mid-1990s involving former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, prosecutors sought the death penalty and life imprisonment. Final sentences were later reduced and both men were eventually pardoned.
The office of President Lee Jae Myung said it trusted the judiciary to rule in line with the law and public standards.
