By Sohaib Shams
A South Korean special prosecutor has demanded the death penalty for ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, ahead of an appeals court verdict on rebellion charges stemming from his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.
Life Sentence Under Appeal
The Seoul High Court has not yet set a date for its ruling on Yoon's appeal of a life sentence handed down in February by the Seoul Central District Court. That court found Yoon illegally mobilized troops and police to seize the legislature, arrest political opponents, and establish unchecked rule for a “considerable time.”
Prosecutors Argue for Capital Punishment
Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk's team argued that only the death penalty could fully hold Yoon accountable for orchestrating a rebellion, and that the country's long-standing moratorium on executions should not prevent courts from imposing death sentences. South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997.
Defense Rejects Charges
Yoon's legal team dismissed the prosecution's argument as “devoid of evidence and legal logic,” maintaining that the martial law decree was intended to raise public awareness about what Yoon called opposition attempts to paralyze state affairs. They insisted Yoon had no intention of causing harm or establishing authoritarian rule.
Martial Law Lasted Hours
Yoon's martial law decree, announced late on Dec. 3, 2024, lasted only hours before a quorum of lawmakers broke through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers and police at the National Assembly and voted to overturn it, forcing his Cabinet to lift the measure.
Removal and Subsequent Arrests
Yoon was suspended from office on Dec. 14, 2024, after being impeached by the liberal-led legislature, and formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He was re-arrested in July 2025 and faces multiple criminal trials over the martial law episode and other allegations.
Additional Drone Flight Case
In addition to the rebellion charge, Yoon has appealed a 30-year prison term in a separate case accusing him of ordering drone flights in 2024 to deliberately heighten tensions with North Korea and create a pretext for martial law. His lawyers said the drone flights were a response to North Korea flying thousands of trash-carrying balloons into the South.
