appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Park Chan-kyong

When prosecutors in South Korea demanded the death penalty for ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, he shook his head in disbelief and let out a contemptuous laugh – a moment that encapsulated his defiant posture throughout nine months of hearings.
Yoon stands accused of being the “ringleader” of an insurrection stemming from his failed martial law bid in 2024 that plunged the country into political chaos.
The public gallery, packed with Yoon’s supporters, erupted into protests, forcing the presiding judge to repeatedly call for order at the final hearing on Tuesday, which stretched 17 hours and past midnight.
A three-judge panel is set to deliver its verdict and sentence on the 65-year-old on February 19, weighing the prosecution’s request and any mitigating factors.
Special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk’s team sought the death penalty, accusing Yoon of orchestrating an “insurrection” by imposing martial law in a bid to cling to power through the seizure of the judiciary and legislature.
Prosecutors also demanded life imprisonment for former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun and a 30-year prison term for retired army intelligence chief No Sang-won, accused of designing the martial law plan.
“This was a crime of insurrection aimed at neutralising constitutional state bodies to extend power through military and police forces,” the special counsel said.


Professor Lim Ji-bong of Sogang University Law School said the death penalty request was widely anticipated, as Yoon was charged as a ringleader of an insurrection – an offence punishable by either death or life imprisonment under South Korean criminal law if convicted.
“We all witnessed troops flown by helicopter storming the National Assembly, smashing windows. That alone constitutes insurrection by obstructing the legislature’s constitutional function,” Lim told This Week in Asia.
However, Lim said the court was more likely to impose life imprisonment, noting that a death sentence could “turn Yoon into a martyr among his supporters and further inflame political divisions”.
South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997 and Amnesty International classifies the country as abolitionist in practice.
“There are few mitigating factors for Yoon,” Lim said. “He has shown no genuine remorse, mocked the prosecution, justified martial law with sophistry and encouraged his lawyers to delay proceedings.”
Prosecutors further accused Yoon of attempting to provoke a military response from North Korea by ordering drone incursions in October and November 2024, allegedly to manufacture a pretext for declaring martial law.
They argued the failed decree gravely damaged the political neutrality of the military and police, deepened social polarisation and undermined the economy and public trust.

In his final statement, Yoon – a former prosecutor general – dismissed the case as a collection of “fantasies and fictions”, insisting his declaration of martial law was meant to awaken the public to what he called the “tyranny” of a National Assembly controlled by the then liberal opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
He likened the special prosecutors to “a pack of wolves blindly rushing in”, accusing them of serving “dark forces” allegedly embedded within the DPK. He also accused the opposition of collaborating with vague “anti-state, subversive and external forces” to manipulate public opinion and sow discord.
“They carried out an unconstitutional dictatorship of the National Assembly, paralysed state affairs and drove the country to the brink of ruin,” Yoon said.
“I declared martial law to inform the people of this national crisis and seek their cooperation.”
Yoon’s lawyers insisted that the declaration of martial law fell under the president’s exclusive authority and was therefore beyond judicial review.
They said Yoon had considered alternatives – including a national referendum and lawsuits to dissolve unconstitutional political parties – but ultimately chose martial law as “the least disruptive” means of alerting the public.
His statement marked the end of a trial marred by repeated controversies over the court’s perceived failure to rein in defence tactics widely criticised as procedural filibustering.
During a recent hearing, prosecutors asked a lawyer for co-defendant Kim to speed up after he read his statement at an exceptionally slow pace.
“I can’t speak fast because of my short tongue,” the lawyer quipped, prompting laughter in the courtroom.

Professor Lee Jae-mook of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies said Yoon’s “remorseless and scornful” courtroom demeanour only intensified public anger.
“Beyond legal responsibility, he refuses to accept political responsibility for the social chaos and economic damage caused by martial law,” Lee told This Week in Asia.
“His conduct borders on the irrational – displaying contempt, mockery and a striking lack of empathy like a psychopath.”
The centrist Hankook Ilbo newspaper wrote in an editorial that Yoon consistently evaded responsibility through sophistry, even shifting blame onto his ministers by claiming that “not a single cabinet member warned of political backlash”.
The paper criticised Yoon’s defence for invoking Enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu – an advocate of separation of powers – to argue that martial law lay beyond judicial scrutiny.
Given the gravity of the charges and Yoon’s lack of remorse, it said, a severe sentence was necessary to send a clear message: “Even the most powerful individual cannot seize authority not granted by the people.”
The conservative Chosun newspaper described martial law as a “relic of authoritarian rule”, noting that Yoon’s decree and subsequent impeachment shocked the nation and damaged its dignity.
“Even after prosecutors sought the death penalty, Yoon has offered no sincere apology or remorse,” it said. “This is deeply troubling.”
The paper urged political leaders to learn from the crisis, warning that relentless partisan conflict continued to overshadow that lesson.


The progressive Hankyoreh accused Yoon of pursuing emergency powers from the start of his presidency in 2022 to eliminate political opposition and monopolise power.
It alleged that the martial law decree was partly intended to shield his wife from bribery and influence-peddling scandals – charges that led to her arrest after Yoon’s impeachment.
“For a people who overcame brutal military dictatorship through pro-democracy uprisings, Yoon Suk-yeol’s coup attempt was intolerable,” the paper said, praising citizens for swiftly suppressing the insurrection.
It also criticised the judiciary, citing an earlier decision by a panel led by senior judge Ji Gwi-yeon that temporarily freed Yoon on procedural grounds.
“The court must not betray the public’s demand for a stern sentence if democracy is to take root,” it said.
This marks the first time in 30 years that prosecutors have sought the death penalty for an ex-president.
The last case involved former authoritarian leader Chun Doo-hwan, who was sentenced to death for the 1979 military coup and the 1980 Gwangju massacre.
His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment before he was pardoned in 1997.


Ukraine’s POW transfer reveal deals North Korea a propaganda blow

What Xi Jinping’s letter to old friends in Iowa means in an altered America

China’s sulphur imports dive 65% as prices surge 3.5 times amid Middle East disruption

Chinese CEOs fly to US on own, await invites to Trump’s state dinner for Xi Jinping

South Korea

South Korea’s Yoon could become ‘martyr’ if given death penalty: observers

A protester punches an effigy of Yoon Suk-yeol outside the National Assembly in Seoul in 2024. Photo: AFP


Yoon’s supporters gather outside the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Yoon arrives to attend a court hearing in Seoul last year. Photo: AP

South Korea’s worst air disaster: fury erupts over ‘mound of death’

The wreckage of the Jeju Air aircraft that crashed at Muan International Airport, South Korea, in December 2024. Photo: Reuters

The damaged concrete structure is seen at the end of the runway at Muan International Airport, where Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashed in December 2024. Photo: AFP

South Korea’s conservatives attempt break from Yoon with martial law apology

A supporter of South Korea’s ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol attends a rally in Seoul last month marking the first anniversary of his short-lived declaration of martial law. Photo: AFP

Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party, bows during a news conference in Seoul on Wednesday. Photo: Yonhap/EPA

Yoon Suk-yeol (left) attends an impeachment hearing at the Constitutional Court in Seoul in February last year. Photo: Xinhua

Why North Korea’s ‘gang of hooligans’ rebuke signals freeze in ties with South

Wreckage of a drone that North Korea claims originated from South Korea is shown in this composite photo, released on Saturday. Photo: KCNA/AFP

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, arrives for a meeting in Russia on September 13, 2023. Photo: Sputnik/Reuters

South Korean Deputy Defence Minister for national defence policy, Kim Hong-cheol, speaks at a briefing on the North Korean drone incursions on Saturday. Photo: Yonhap/EPA

This Week in Asia

Politics

News

Asia

East Asia

While prosecutors have demanded death for the disgraced ex-president over his martial law debacle, a life imprisonment sentence is seen as more likely


While prosecutors have demanded death for the disgraced ex-president over his martial law debacle, a life imprisonment sentence is seen as more likely.


South Korea’s Yoon could become ‘martyr’ if given death penalty: observers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}While prosecutors have demanded death for the disgraced ex-president over his martial law debacle, a life imprisonment sentence is seen as more likely

While prosecutors have demanded death for the disgraced ex-president over his martial law debacle, a life imprisonment sentence is seen as more likely