Prosecutors today called for the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk-yeol, finding him guilty of sedition for attempting to impose martial law in December 2024.
“Special prosecutors have sought the death penalty for former President Yun as the ‘rebellion leader,'” Yonhap news agency reported.
On December 3, 2024, Yun suddenly declared martial law, in a speech, saying he wanted to eliminate “shameless, anti-state, North Korean-friendly forces.”
The coup was opposed by lawmakers and Yun saw parliament suspend his presidential duties, he was arrested – a first in the country for a sitting president -, detained and charged.
Rebellion is punishable by death under the country’s law, although South Korea has not executed anyone sentenced to death in decades.
In the final hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, a prosecutor said investigators had confirmed the existence of a plan allegedly at the behest of Yun and former Defense Minister Kim Jong-hyun, dating back to October 2023 and hatched to keep Yun in power.
Yoon, 65, denies the charges.
He has argued that it was within his powers as president to declare martial law and that the action was aimed at raising the alarm about opposition parties obstructing the government.
The Seoul Central District Court is expected to rule on the case in February.
