South Korean prosecutors seek death penalty in Yoon martial law appeal

South Korean prosecutors have renewed their demand for the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk-yeol during an appeal hearing in Seoul over his martial law and insurrection case. The request was made at the Seoul High Court on Thursday as Yoon appeals a life sentence handed down in February. Prosecutors said his actions threatened South Korea's democracy and argued there was no reason to hesitate over the harshest punishment available under law.

The case stems from Yoon's failed attempt to impose military rule on December 3, 2024. According to the court findings cited by prosecutors, he deployed soldiers and police to the National Assembly and tried to stop parliament from functioning, detain political opponents and remain in control of the country for an extended period. Lawmakers overcame a security blockade and voted down the measure, forcing the government to withdraw it about six hours after it was announced.

Yoon was first convicted of leading an insurrection and sentenced to life imprisonment after prosecutors had already sought the death penalty at the original trial in January. His lawyers have said he intended to warn an opposition-controlled parliament against what he saw as attempts to obstruct his government, rather than establish authoritarian rule. Yoon also denied seeking to create a long-term dictatorship during a hearing on October 27, according to local reporting cited in court coverage.

The renewed push for capital punishment underscores the continuing legal and political fallout from one of South Korea's most serious constitutional crises in years. Yoon was impeached in December 2024 after the martial law declaration, and the Constitutional Court removed him from office in April 2025. The case has become a test of how South Korea's institutions respond when a former head of state is accused of trying to override democratic checks and balances.

South Korea still retains the death penalty, but it has not carried out an execution since 1997. Prosecutors argued that the long pause should not prevent judges from imposing the sentence if they consider it justified. The appeal is being heard by the Seoul High Court, with special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk leading the prosecution team.

The court is scheduled to hold two more hearings, including Yoon's final statement on November 5. It remains unclear whether the appeal court will uphold the life sentence, increase the punishment or take a different view of the evidence. The outcome will be closely watched because it could shape the legal and political legacy of the martial law episode and the limits of presidential power in South Korea.

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