Death penalty sought for SKorea ex-president Yoon

South Korea’s special prosecutor has sought the death penalty on sedition charges for former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.

Yoon is accused of planning an uprising. In South Korean law, the crime has a harsh punishment, up to the death penalty if convicted; but South Korea has not carried out the death penalty for decades.

In closing arguments at the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday, the prosecutor said investigators confirmed the existence of a plot allegedly directed by Yoon and former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, dating back to October 2023 and designed to keep Yoon in power.

Yoon, 65, denied the accusations. He argued that it was within his powers as president to declare martial law and that the action was intended to sound the alarm about opposition parties obstructing the government.

The Seoul Central District Court is expected to rule on the case in February.