S. Korea prosecutors seek death for ex-president
Prosecutors in South Korea demanded the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday for allegedly leading an insurrection through his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024.
Yoon has denied being the “ringleader” of an attempt to subvert the constitutional order, claiming the purpose of the declaration was to inform the public that the nation was in crisis, with state affairs being paralyzed by interference from the then main opposition Democratic Party.
The special counsel investigating Yoon argued, in seeking capital punishment, that “the defendant showed absolutely no remorse” even after destroying constitutional values such as democracy and the rule of law as well as core fundamental rights including freedom.
Statutory penalty
In his final statement, Yoon categorically denied the allegations, claiming the declaration of martial law was clearly within his rights as president. He said he was compelled to implement it because the opposition had derailed the government by blocking bills and continuously impeaching officials.
The court, which concluded the hearing after more than half a day of proceedings, said it will hand down its ruling on Feb. 19.
The statutory penalty for leading an insurrection is the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment without prison labor for life.
Most serious case
But the country is categorized by Amnesty International as “a death penalty abolitionist in practice,” having not carried out an execution since December 1997.
Yoon’s trial is the most serious among a series of cases over the martial law, which Yoon declared despite the country not being at war or experiencing an equivalent national emergency.
The prosecutors on Tuesday also sought life imprisonment for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and 20 years in prison for former National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho, both for executing Yoon’s illegal orders.
Yoon was removed from office by the Constitutional Court on April 4, 2025, after the court upheld a parliamentary impeachment motion, with all the justices deeming the martial law declaration unconstitutional and a denial of democracy.
