South Korea’s special prosecutor is expected to seek a sentence for former president Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of insurrection linked to his brief imposition of martial law in 2024. A lower court convened on Friday for the final session of the trial.
If convicted of masterminding an insurrection, Yoon could face the death penalty or life imprisonment under South Korean law. The country, however, has observed an unofficial moratorium for nearly three decades and has not carried out an execution since 1997.
Prosecution’s Case
During hearings at the Seoul Central District Court, prosecutors alleged that Yoon and then defence minister Kim Yong-hyun began planning as early as October 2023 to suspend parliament and assume legislative authority.
They further claimed that Yoon sought to label political opponents, including then opposition leader Lee Jae Myung, as “anti-state forces” and to detain them.
Prosecutors also alleged that Yoon and Kim attempted to create a pretext for declaring martial law by heightening tensions with North Korea through a covert drone operation.
Impact Of Martial Law Declaration
Although the attempt to impose martial law lasted only about six hours, it sent shockwaves through South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, a key United States security ally and a country long regarded as one of the region’s most resilient democracies.
Yoon’s Defence
Yoon, 65, has denied all charges. The conservative former leader has argued that declaring martial law fell within his constitutional powers as president and that the move was intended to warn against what he described as obstruction of government by opposition parties.
Courtroom Proceedings
Dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, and appearing noticeably thinner than at the start of the trial in February, Yoon sat in court alongside seven other defendants, including Kim and their legal counsel.
The session began earlier than usual to accommodate defence arguments, followed by prosecutors’ final submissions and sentencing requests for each defendant.
Political Fallout And What Lies Ahead
The court is expected to deliver its verdict in February, bringing to a close more than a year of political turmoil triggered by Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024. The order was rescinded within hours after lawmakers climbed fences and breached a security cordon around the National Assembly to vote against it.
Yoon was subsequently impeached and removed from office by the Constitutional Court. A snap presidential election held in June last year brought liberal-leaning Lee Jae Myung to power.
In addition to the insurrection case, Yoon is facing multiple other criminal charges, including obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant and abuse of power.