In brief
South Korean special counsel on Thursday filed a second request for the death penalty against former President Yoon Suk‑yeol, who was previously sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court for declaring martial law in December 2024. Prosecutors argue the immensity of the violation and claim no room for misjudgment, while Yoon maintains the move was a warning to the opposition‑controlled parliament. The Seoul High Court will hold additional hearings before finalizing the sentence, with Yoon expected to give a final statement next week.
Special counsel announced a second request for the death penalty against former President Yoon Suk‑yeol on Thursday at the Seoul High Court, following the failed martial‑law declaration in December 2024.
Special counsel Cho Eun‑suk’s team filed the request during an appeal over insurrection charges that stem from Yoon’s order of martial law on the night of December 3 2024, hours before the National Assembly revoked the decree.
The request follows a February lower‑court decision that sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment for staging a riot through that martial‑law declaration, which the court characterized as an attempt to paralyze parliament and arrest key politicians.
Under the country’s criminal law, an insurrection ringleader may receive either the death penalty or life imprisonment, without labor.
"There is no reason to hesitate to hand down the death penalty," said a member of the counsel’s team, adding that the possibility of a misjudgment does not apply in this case.
Yoon maintains that his declaration of martial law was intended as a warning to the opposition‑controlled parliament amid its successive impeachments of senior government officials and attempts to cut the state budget.
Amnesty International has classified South Korea as a death‑penalty abolitionist in practice, noting that the punishment has not been carried out since December 1997.
The Seoul High Court will hold two additional hearings before setting a sentencing date, and Yoon’s final statement is scheduled to be delivered next Thursday, according to Yonhap.
