Key facts
- Special counsel seeks death penalty for ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol.
- Yoon is on appeal for insurrection charges related to martial law declaration.
- A lower court sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment in February.
- Martial law was declared on December 3, 2024, and lifted six hours later.
- Troops were deployed to the National Assembly during the martial law period.
A special counsel team on Thursday sought the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol during his appeal trial on insurrection charges stemming from his failed attempt to impose martial law. The request was made at the Seoul High Court, eight months after a lower court sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment for staging a riot through his declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024. The special counsel team argued that the lower court's life sentence was too lenient and that the practice of not executing the death penalty should not preclude its use. Yoon has maintained that his declaration of martial law was intended as a warning to the opposition-controlled parliament.