South Korea’s ex-president Yoon faces possible death sentence over 2024 martial law bid

SEOUL, Jan 9 — South Korea’s special prosecutor is expected to make a sentencing request for former president Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of insurrection over his brief imposition of martial law in 2024, as a lower court trial convened on Friday for its final session.

Yoon, who is accused of masterminding an insurrection, could face the death penalty or life in prison under South Korean law if found guilty. South Korea has followed an unofficial moratorium for nearly 30 years and has not executed a death-row inmate since 1997.

In hearings at the Seoul Central District Court, prosecutors have alleged Yoon and then-defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, began devising a scheme as far back as October 2023 to suspend parliament and take over legislative powers.

Prosecutors allege Yoon sought to brand political opponents — including then-opposition leader Lee Jae Myung — as “anti-state forces” and detain them.

The then president and Kim also tried to manufacture a pretext for martial law by escalating tensions with North Korea through a covert drone operation, prosecutors have said.

While the botched bid to impose martial law lasted only about six hours, it sent shockwaves through Asia’s fourth-largest economy, a key US security ally and long considered one of Asia’s most resilient democracies.

Yoon, 65, has denied the charges. The conservative has argued it was within his powers as president to declare martial law and that the action was aimed at sounding the alarm over opposition parties’ obstruction of government.

Dressed in a dark suit and white shirt and appearing noticeably thinner than at the start of the trial in February, Yoon sat with seven other defendants including Kim and legal counsel.

The session opened earlier than usual for defence arguments, followed by the prosecutors’ final arguments and sentencing requests relating to each of the defendants.

The court is expected to rule in February, capping more than a year of political upheaval following Yoon’s martial law declaration on December 3, 2024, which was revoked within hours after lawmakers scaled fences to break through a security cordon around the National Assembly to vote.

Yoon was later impeached and removed from office by the Constitutional Court and a snap presidential election in June last year brought liberal-leaning Lee Jae Myung to power.

Yoon faces a string of other criminal charges, including obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant and abuse of power. — Reuters