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South Korean prosecutors have sought the death penalty for former President Yun Suk-yeol if he is found guilty of his role in the failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024. The request was made during closing arguments in the trial underway before a court in Seoul, where Yun is accused of being an "organizer of the uprising."
The case concerns the then-president's sudden decision to declare a state of emergency, a measure that lasted only a few hours but plunged the country into political crisis. He was arrested by parliament and held in custody awaiting trial.
Leading a rebellion is the most serious charge facing Yun Suk-yeol. Under South Korean law, the offense carries either life imprisonment or the death penalty, with prosecutors required to seek one of the two sentences. In their statement, they argued that while there was no death, the former president's intent was just as violent.
A senior military commander testified in court that Yun had ordered the arrest of lawmakers. A memo from one of the drafters of the martial law, a former officer, was also presented, which spoke of the "neutralization" of hundreds of people, including journalists, trade unionists and lawmakers.
Yun Suk-yeol denies the charges, saying the declaration of a state of emergency was symbolic and intended to draw public attention to the opposition's irregularities. His trial has been joined by those of two other senior officials in his government, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former police chief Cho Ji-ho.
South Korea has not carried out executions in nearly 30 years. In 1996, former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to death for the 1979 coup, a sentence that was later commuted to life imprisonment.
The verdict and sentence for Yun and his co-defendants are expected to be announced at a later date, with the verdicts set to be announced in February. The former president has been in custody for months, facing other criminal charges. Last month, prosecutors had sought a 10-year prison sentence for obstruction of justice and related charges in the same case.
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