Prosecutors Want Death for South Korea's Ousted Leader

South Korea's most dramatic political trial in decades is now in a judge's hands—and prosecutors want the ultimate punishment. They've requested the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, arguing he led an attempted insurrection when he briefly declared martial law in December 2024, per the BBC. The move, which lasted only hours but triggered a constitutional crisis, led to Yoon's impeachment, arrest, and a trial in which he is accused of trying to use the military to cling to power. Yoon insists the declaration was symbolic, meant to spotlight alleged wrongdoing by his opponents, not a genuine coup attempt.

Prosecutors argue Yoon plotted for more than a year to impose martial law and deliberately sought to provoke North Korea to justify his actions. The plan, they say, was inherently violent even though no one was killed. They called a senior military commander who testified that Yoon ordered the arrest of lawmakers, and introduced a memo from a former officer involved in the planning that floated "disposing" of hundreds of perceived opponents, from journalists to labor organizers to politicians. Under South Korean law, prosecutors must request either death or life imprisonment on an insurrection charge, which is the most serious count Yoon faces. Prosecutors previously requested a 10-year prison sentence for other charges against Yoon, including obstruction of justice.

Yoon's case has been combined with those of his former defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, and former police chief, Cho Ji-ho. A verdict is expected as soon as February. If convicted of the most serious charge, Yoon will likely be sentenced to life in prison, the Hill reports, considering South Korea has not carried out an execution since the 1990s. Former dictator Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to death in 1996 for seizing power in a 1979 coup, but ultimately had his sentence reduced to life. Yoon, who has been in detention for months, still commands loyalty among some right-wing supporters, who cast him as a victim of the liberal Democratic Party now running the country.