ASIATODAY.ID, SEOUL – South Korean prosecutors have formally sought the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing him of leading an insurrection through his shocking declaration of martial law in 2024—an alleged bid to cling to power amid mounting political resistance.
In their closing arguments at the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday, the special prosecution team branded the 65-year-old former leader the “ringleader of an insurrection,” citing evidence from a year-long investigation that suggests Yoon had been plotting since 2023 to seize control of state institutions.
Yoon has categorically denied the charges. He insists the martial law decree fell within his constitutional authority, arguing it was a necessary response to legislative paralysis and an alleged “rebellion” orchestrated by pro–North Korea elements within the opposition.
However, the move backfired spectacularly.
The emergency declaration in December 2024—the first imposition of martial law in South Korea since 1980—triggered immediate mass protests and plunged the country into its gravest constitutional crisis in decades.
Hundreds of armed troops were deployed to key government sites, including the National Assembly, in what critics described as an attempt to preempt parliamentary authority and block lawmakers from convening.
Within hours, the National Assembly voted unanimously to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to rescind martial law after roughly six hours. Opposition leaders condemned the move as a reckless abuse of executive power, while public outrage swelled nationwide.
The political fallout proved fatal to Yoon’s presidency.
He was arrested in January 2025, formally impeached, and ultimately removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to be detained and criminally charged while still in power.
Although South Korean law permits capital punishment for insurrection, the country has not carried out an execution since 1997. Most legal experts believe a life sentence is the more likely outcome, despite prosecutors’ push for the harshest penalty.
The court is expected to deliver its verdict in February.
Yoon’s downfall paved the way for a snap presidential election won by Lee Jae-myung, whose administration has since reversed Yoon’s hardline policies toward North Korea—most notably by halting propaganda broadcasts along the border, signaling a dramatic shift in inter-Korean relations.
What began as an emergency decree has now become a defining moment in South Korea’s democratic history—one that could end with a former president facing the ultimate punishment under the law. (RT)
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