Overview
- Closing arguments ran from Jan. 13 into the early hours of Jan. 14, with prosecutors calling the case a grave destruction of constitutional order and formally requesting capital punishment.
- Yoon denied all charges in his final statement, dismissing the indictment as fiction and asserting the declaration was a lawful exercise of presidential authority.
- The indictment alleges he proclaimed martial law on Dec. 3, 2024 without constitutional grounds, mobilized military and police to block the National Assembly, banned political activity, and arranged a military presence at the election authority.
- The charge of leading an insurrection carries a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment, though South Korea has not conducted an execution since 1997.
- The case is being tried alongside proceedings for seven senior security officials, with prosecutors seeking life imprisonment for former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun and 30 years for No Sang-won.