South Korean special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk has requested the death penalty for former President Yun Suk-yeol during the appeal of the rebellion case related to his attempt to impose martial law in December 2024. The request was made to the Seoul High Court, which is hearing Yun's appeal against his life sentence.
The special prosecutor's office is also appealing the sentence itself, calling it too lenient. Prosecutors say the former president's actions posed a serious threat to South Korea's democracy and constitutional order.
“There is no reason to hesitate to impose the death penalty,“ a representative of Cho Un-suk's team said.The prosecution argues that only the most severe punishment can ensure Yun's full responsibility for organizing an uprising. Prosecutors insist that the fact that the death penalty is not actually used in South Korea should not prevent courts from imposing it. Under South Korean criminal law, the death penalty, life imprisonment, or life imprisonment without labor are possible for a leader of an uprising.
How the case came to be
Yoon declared martial law late on the evening of December 3, 2024, arguing that "anti-state forces" must be eliminated. The measure was lifted about six hours later after lawmakers broke through a blockade around the National Assembly and voted to end it.
During the brief martial law, soldiers and police were sent to the parliament complex. In February 2026, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that Yoon had mobilized security forces to block parliament and arrest key political figures. The court sentenced him to life in prison, and the decision was appealed by both the defense and the prosecution.
Yoon's lawyers have dismissed the prosecution's case as "devoid of evidence and legal logic." They maintain that martial law was a warning to the opposition-dominated parliament and that the former president had no intention of establishing authoritarian rule.
When is a verdict expected?
The Seoul High Court will hold two more hearings before setting a date for the verdict. Yoon is scheduled to make his final statement on November 5.
Yoon was temporarily removed from office on December 14, 2024, after parliament voted to impeach him. The Constitutional Court permanently removed him from the presidency in April 2025. South Korea has not carried out a death sentence since December 1997, making the actual execution of such a sentence unlikely, even if the court ordered it.
Sources: apnews.com, en.yna.co.kr, bta.bg