Former President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a listening to on Dec. 29, 2025, in his trial on fees of main an revolt together with his abortive declaration of martial legislation one 12 months earlier. (courtesy of the Seoul Central District Court docket)
On Tuesday, prosecutors requested the loss of life penalty for Yoon Suk-yeol, asking the court docket to throw the guide on the disgraced former president for repeating the “historical past of revolt.”
South Korea is a de facto abolitionist state that doesn’t perform executions, regardless of the loss of life penalty remaining on the legislation books. As a proof for why the loss of life penalty was sought, the particular counsel staff prosecuting the case emphasised that searching for the loss of life penalty represents a robust resolve to answer the crimes in query and uphold belief within the judicial course of.
Yoon is accused of main an revolt, which carries three doable statutory penalties: loss of life, life imprisonment with labor, or life imprisonment with out labor. In 1997, a court docket sentenced the previous dictator Chun Doo-hwan to life imprisonment with out parole for a similar cost over his function in main the Could 17 navy coup.
Regardless of this precedent from almost 30 years in the past, Yoon tried to execute an much more totally premeditated revolt. The particular counsel staff argued to the court docket that extreme punishment is important to forestall this historical past from repeating itself as soon as extra.
Particularly, the particular counsel staff famous that former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, different Cupboard members, and presidential aides akin to Yoon’s former chief of workers, Chung Jin-suk, made no energetic makes an attempt to cease the revolt regardless of their consciousness of Yoon’s plans. The prosecutors famous that these officers have been “summoned forward of the martial legislation declaration and have been on standby for an intensive interval till it was introduced,” but didn’t “launch details about the declaration by way of textual content messages,” for instance.
“Regardless of the convictions of the insurrectionary forces led by Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, the conduct of those elite public officers reveals that there stays a major threat that makes an attempt to destroy the constitutional order by way of a self-coup utilizing martial legislation might recur,” argued assistant particular counsel Park Eok-su.
“We should display that the Republic of Korea can defend its constitutional order by way of its personal felony justice system by sentencing these public officers to extra extreme punishments than the forces aligned with Chun and Roh acquired.”
All through the trial, Yoon repeatedly emphasised that the state of emergency was lifted after two and a half hours, and, in contrast to in previous circumstances, no deaths occurred. The particular counsel staff, nevertheless, confused the gravity of Yoon’s crime.
“This declaration of emergency martial legislation and the crimes of revolt dedicated on this case severely broken the nationwide delight and worldwide belief that had been painstakingly constructed over time — specifically, our standing as a secure, democratic nation,” Park argued earlier than the court docket.
“The Republic of Korea has a historical past of numerous sacrifices made to safe democracy, together with the 1960 April 19 Revolution, the 1980 Could 18 Democratization Motion, and the 1987 June Democratization Motion. In gentle of those historic experiences, democracy must not ever once more be undermined for the aim of monopolizing and sustaining energy,” the deputy particular counsel argued.
The particular counsel staff additionally identified that Yoon mobilized the navy and police in his revolt try, though these organizations have an obligation to take care of political neutrality and loyalty to the folks. It additional argued that he has been sowing public battle and nationwide division since Dec. 3, 2024.
The particular counsel additionally famous that Yoon has repeatedly lied concerning the revolt, and has but to specific regret for his actions. It argued that Yoon had “deceived the nation” by having the presidential workplace deny that plans for the revolt had been in movement since Yoon appointed Kim Yong-hyun as his protection minister.
The staff went on to spotlight three indications that Yoon lacks regret for his actions. First, Yoon didn’t sincerely mirror on the revolt or correctly apologize to the general public; second, he disregarded felony justice procedures by refusing to cooperate with the investigation and trial; and lastly, he behaved irresponsibly by shifting blame onto subordinates.
“There may be completely no room for leniency,” Park emphasised.
The particular counsel staff additionally demonstrated its resolve to place a halt to Korea’s historical past of repeated insurrections by requesting the loss of life penalty, no matter whether or not it’s truly carried out.
“Whereas the Republic of Korea is a [de facto] abolitionist state, loss of life sentences are nonetheless being sought and handed down,” Park stated.
“In Korea’s felony justice system, the ‘loss of life penalty’ doesn’t imply the sentenced will probably be executed. It capabilities as a method for the general public to display its resolve to answer the crime in query and its belief that this resolve will probably be enacted by way of the judicial course of,” he defined.
Because of this the particular counsel staff argued that imposing the minimal sentence inside the statutory vary is “inappropriate” and sought the utmost sentence for Yoon.
By Oh Yeon-seo, workers reporter; Park Ji-young, workers reporter; Lee Na-young, workers reporter
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