Overview
- Prosecutors asked the Seoul Central District Court on Jan. 13 to sentence Yoon Seok-yeol to death, arguing he shows no remorse and offers no mitigating factors after a delay from Jan. 9.
- Authorities allege his emergency martial-law order failed to meet the constitutional threshold of wartime or equivalent crisis and involved deploying military and police to thwart a National Assembly move.
- Yoon’s defense contends the declaration was a lawful use of authority and says any troop presence near parliament was to protect public order, seeking acquittal on the insurrection charge.
- The Constitutional Court unanimously ruled the martial-law declaration unconstitutional in April 2025, a decision that removed Yoon from office and underpins the prosecution’s case.
- The insurrection charge carries penalties up to death or life terms, though South Korea has not conducted an execution since 1997, and a separate obstruction case has a Jan. 16 ruling with prosecutors seeking 10 years.