Death penalty requested again for former South Korean President Yoon over martial law

A special team from the South Korean Prosecutor’s Office once again requested the death penalty this Thursday for former president Yoon Suk-yeol for his attempt to impose martial law in December 2024, which triggered one of the greatest institutional crises in the country’s democratic history.

In February of this year, a court sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment for leading the insurrection. However, the former president appealed the sentence and the Seoul High Court is now examining the case.

“There is no reason to hesitate when it comes to imposing the death penalty,” said one of the prosecutors, in statements reported by the local news agency Yonhap.

The South Korean Prosecutor’s Office had already requested the death penalty for Yoon during the previous trial, although the court decided at that time to reduce the sentence to life imprisonment.

The controversial martial law

In South Korea, there is a de facto moratorium on the death penalty, and no executions have been recorded in the country since 1997.

On the night of December 3, 2024, Yoon declared martial law and sent the Army and riot police to attempt to paralyze the National Assembly, but Parliament blocked the decree a few hours later.

The former president was removed from office in April of last year by the Constitutional Court, considering that there was no evidence of an emergency situation that would justify the decree.

Since then, the courts have also sentenced other members of his Government, including former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 15 years in prison, and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to 30 years.