Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Former President Yoon Suk Yeol
Special prosecutors demanded the death penalty for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during an appeals trial over his 2024 emergency martial law declaration.
A special counsel team led by Cho Eun-seok requested the death penalty for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during an appeal trial at the Seoul High Court on October 30, 2026. The request follows a February 2026 ruling by the Seoul Central District Court that sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection and orchestrating a rebellion.
The charges center on Yoon's December 3, 2024, declaration of emergency martial law, which involved mobilizing troops to seize the National Assembly and arrest political opponents. While the legislature revoked the order within six hours, prosecutors characterize the event as a "personal power coup" and an act of treason. Cho Eun-seok argued that the previous life sentence was too lenient and that the death penalty is necessary to prevent future insurrections.
Beyond the martial law charges, prosecutors allege Yoon ordered reckless military operations, including an October 2024 drone incursion into North Korea, to expand his power. Yoon is currently appealing a separate 30-year sentence related to those provocations. Yoon maintains that the martial law declaration was a warning to an opposition-controlled parliament attempting to paralyze state affairs.
The court is also considering a life sentence for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was previously sentenced to 30 years. The Seoul High Court will hear closing arguments from Kim on November 3 and from Yoon on November 5 before setting a final sentencing date.
