By Anietie Anii-Bassey
An independent counsel on Tuesday called for the death penalty for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing him of directing a rebellion through his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024, a move that ultimately ended his presidency and plunged the country into months of political upheaval.
Yoon, who was removed from office in April, is facing eight separate trials tied to the martial law episode and other alleged abuses and scandals during his time in power. Among the charges, prosecutors say the accusation that he orchestrated a rebellion represents the gravest offense, carrying the most severe potential punishment under South Korean law.
The request for capital punishment was submitted by the team of independent counsel Cho Eun-suk during proceedings at the Seoul Central District Court, according to court officials.
The court is expected to issue a verdict in February, though legal experts have cautioned that a death sentence is unlikely, predicting instead a life term if Yoon is convicted. South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997, even though the death penalty remains on the books.
Yoon was scheduled to address the court during Tuesday’s hearing and has consistently defended his actions, portraying the martial law decree as a last-resort and nonviolent measure aimed at alerting the public to what he described as a national crisis.
He has argued that the opposition Democratic Party, which controlled the National Assembly at the time, was abusing its legislative majority to paralyze his administration. In previous statements, Yoon denounced the opposition-led parliament as “a den of criminals” and “anti-state forces,” language that has since been cited by prosecutors as evidence of his intent to undermine constitutional order.
The declaration marked South Korea’s first imposition of martial law in more than four decades. Armed troops were deployed to central Seoul, where they surrounded the National Assembly and entered election-related offices. The scenes revived painful memories of the authoritarian era of the 1970s and 1980s, when military-backed governments routinely invoked emergency powers to crush dissent and silence pro-democracy movements.
Public backlash was swift and intense. On the night of the decree, thousands of protesters converged on the National Assembly, demanding Yoon’s resignation and chanting against military rule. Despite the presence of troops, enough lawmakers—including members of Yoon’s own party—managed to gain entry to the assembly chamber to vote down the martial law order, effectively nullifying it within hours.
Political observers widely described the move as self-destructive. Lawmakers soon impeached Yoon, sending the case to the Constitutional Court, which ultimately upheld the impeachment and formally dismissed him from office. The ruling sealed a dramatic fall for a former star prosecutor who had won the presidency in 2022, just one year after entering politics.
Yoon’s removal triggered a snap presidential election last June, which was won by Lee Jae Myung, a former leader of the Democratic Party who had spearheaded the impeachment effort. After taking office, Lee appointed three independent counsels to investigate allegations involving Yoon, his wife Kim Keon Hee, and close associates, signaling a sweeping reckoning with the previous administration.
Speculation had circulated that Yoon’s decision to invoke martial law was linked to efforts to shield his wife from potential corruption investigations. However, in concluding a six-month inquiry last month, Cho’s team said the evidence pointed to a broader and more deliberate plan.
Investigators alleged that Yoon had spent more than a year plotting to impose martial law as a means of eliminating political rivals and consolidating power, a conclusion that underpins the rebellion charge now before the court.
The fallout from the decree was severe. South Korea was thrown into prolonged political uncertainty, high-level diplomatic engagements were put on hold, and financial markets were rattled as investors grappled with fears of instability in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
Yoon’s repeated vows to resist impeachment and arrest further inflamed tensions, deepening ideological divisions across the country.
In January last year, amid mounting legal pressure, Yoon became the first sitting South Korean president to be detained, an unprecedented moment that underscored the gravity of the crisis.
As the court prepares to rule, the case stands as one of the most consequential legal and political reckonings in South Korea’s democratic history, with implications that extend far beyond the fate of a single former leader.
Original article
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