He was on trial for 'inciting a riot': South Korea's death penalty request for the former president

During the appeal hearing of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's appeal against his life imprisonment sentence, specially authorized investigative prosecutor Cho Ehun-suk's team requested the death penalty for the former President.

A member of the prosecution team said, "There is no reason to hesitate about imposing the death penalty. The strongest argument that can be put forward against the death penalty is the possibility of a possible wrongful conviction. However, there is no room for such a possibility in this case."

The member in question emphasized that Yoon led soldiers into the field despite his oath to abide by the constitution, and said, "This is an unforgivable crime that destroys the constitutional order and tries to take the country back 40 years."

LIFE SENTENCE WAS FOUND 'LIGHT'

The special prosecution team stated that the life sentence imposed by the lower court was too light and that the fact that the death penalty is not actually implemented in the country should not be an obstacle to the imposition of this sentence.

According to the news, Amnesty International considers South Korea in the category of countries that have "de facto abolished the death penalty"; because no death penalty has been executed in the country since December 1997.

According to South Korean criminal law, there are three types of punishment that can be given to the leader of a riot. These are the death penalty, life imprisonment and life imprisonment without heavy workload.

In January, special prosecutors described Yoon as "the ringleader of an uprising trying to stay in power by seizing the judicial and legislative bodies" and demanded the death penalty.

YOON'S DECLARATION OF MARTIAL LAW AND IMPEACHMENT

The President of the period, Yoon Suk Yeol, declared martial law on December 3, 2024, on the grounds that "the opposition was involved in anti-state activities", and had to take a step back after the National Assembly lifted this decision.

Yoon, whose dismissal was requested in the vote held by the National Assembly on December 14, 2024, was temporarily suspended from office.

In its decision on April 4, 2025, the Constitutional Court accepted the National Assembly's request for impeachment and approved Yoon's dismissal.

Yoon was convicted in February of "leading the uprising" with the declaration of martial law in December 2024 and was sentenced to life imprisonment.