South Korean prosecutors requested the death penalty Tuesday for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of masterminding an insurrection through his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024, though the country has not executed anyone in nearly three decades.
In closing arguments at Seoul Central District Court, a prosecutor argued that Yoon and his former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun orchestrated a scheme dating back to October 2023 to retain power unlawfully.
“Yoon… claims to have committed emergency martial law to protect liberal democracy, but his unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law undermined the function of the National Assembly and the Election Commission… actually destroying the liberal democratic constitutional order,” the prosecutor said. “The defendant has not sincerely regretted the crime… or apologised properly to the people.”
Yoon, 65, denied the charges, telling Yonhap news agency that he declared martial law to counter “wickedness that would ruin the nation” and that it was within his presidential powers to alert against opposition obstruction.
A special prosecutor earlier accused Yoon of attempting to provoke North Korea into armed aggression to justify the decree and eliminate rivals, including ordering covert drone operations into the North. “We know well from historic experience the justification given by those in power for a coup is only a facade and the sole purpose is to monopolize and maintain power,” special prosecutor Cho Eun-seok said at a December briefing.
The martial law declaration, announced live on television late on December 3, 2024, was voided by parliament within hours, leading to Yoon’s impeachment and removal by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. A snap election installed President Lee Jae Myung, whose office said Tuesday it trusts the judiciary to rule “in accordance with the law, principles, and public standards.”
The case evokes memories of past military rule, similar to the 1995-1996 trials of former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo for insurrection, where prosecutors sought severe sentences but courts revised them downward before presidential pardons.
Yoon’s trial, with a ruling expected in February, stands in contrast with his earlier international image as a reliable and charismatic U.S. ally. In April 2023, during a high-profile state visit to Washington, President Yoon Suk Yeol was warmly hosted by then-President Joe Biden at the White House for a state dinner celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korea alliance. The event highlighted strengthened military and economic ties, including deepened cooperation on North Korea threats, supply-chain resilience, and technology partnerships.
The evening’s lighter moment came when Biden, aware of Yoon’s fondness for classic American music, coaxed the South Korean leader onto the stage in the State Dining Room to sing Don McLean’s iconic “American Pie.” Yoon, who had performed the song in his youth, enthusiastically belted out the lyrics to a cheering crowd of diplomats, celebrities, and officials, with Biden pumping his fists in delight and later joking that Yoon could headline future state dinners.
Prosecutors have indicted 24 people, including Yoon and five cabinet members, on related charges, while Yoon’s wife faces a separate corruption probe.
