The final hearing of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s insurrection trial took place with significant interest in the potential punishment he may receive, including the death penalty. Yoon, indicted in February for leading an insurrection by declaring martial law on December 3, 2024, faced this crucial trial at the Seoul Central District Court.
This hearing marked the conclusion of the insurrection trials involving former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho, and five others. These individuals were accused of playing pivotal roles in the brief execution of martial law. All eight defendants, including the imprisoned former president, were present during the session.
During a final hearing, the prosecution presents its sentencing recommendation, the defendant’s lawyer delivers closing arguments, and the defendant makes a final statement. In Yoon’s case, the special counsel’s team is expected to request either the death penalty, life imprisonment, or life imprisonment without forced labor as permissible punishments for an insurrection ringleader.
Legal sources anticipate that the court’s sentencing for Yoon will be announced in early February. Yoon faces charges of conspiring to stage a riot to subvert the Constitution by unlawfully declaring martial law without a national emergency. His actions included mobilizing troops and police to block the National Assembly compound and detain key political figures.
Yoon, the first sitting president to be indicted with physical detention in South Korea, was initially released in March but rearrested in July on additional charges related to his martial law attempt. The trial took place at the same courtroom where past leaders, such as former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, were tried for various offenses, receiving sentencing recommendations of death penalty and life imprisonment, respectively, in 1996 for their roles in a 1979 coup.
