Prosecutors seek death penalty for ex‑president Yoon over short-lived martial law

South Korea’s prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk-yeol at the Seoul Central District Court over his short-lived declaration of martial law, Time reported. The special prosecutor made the request during the final hearing, which began Tuesday morning and stretched after midnight into Wednesday.

Prosecutors accused Yoon of leading an insurrection, saying he and co-defendants declared martial law to “monopoliz[e] power and maintain[] long-term rule,” and argued he “showed no remorse” and had not apologized. Yoon reportedly smiled in court when the sentence request was read and later delivered a 90-minute statement after midnight, calling prosecutors “like a pack of wolves” and disputing that he sought a long-term dictatorship: “How would I even manage a long-term dictatorship?

I wouldn’t even know how to do it if I were asked,” he reportedly said. His Dec. 3, 2024 martial law declaration lasted six hours before lawmakers invalidated it; he was impeached 11 days later and formally ousted the following April. The court is slated to issue its ruling on Feb.

Key Topics

Politics, Yoon Suk-yeol, Martial Law, Insurrection, Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung