December 26, 2025, 09:21December 26, 2025, 09:21
Just over a year after the temporary declaration of martial law, public prosecutors in South Korea have requested a ten-year prison sentence for deposed head of state Yoon Suk Yeol. According to the Yonhap news agency, a verdict in the case is expected to be made in January.
The prosecution demanded the sentence on Friday in a trial in the capital Seoul, in which Yoon is accused, among other things, of obstructing justice. Yoon is also said to have excluded government members from a meeting to declare martial law. Last January, Yoon, who was still in office at the time, also prevented investigators from arresting him.
Yoon Suk Yeol.Image: keystone
The trial is one of a total of four proceedings against the conservative former head of state. He has already been charged with, among other things, election fraud, rioting and abuse of office. In November, the public prosecutor’s office also filed charges alleging “favoring the enemy and abuse of office.” Among other things, Yoon is said to have ordered drone flights over North Korea to justify his declaration of martial law.
Martial law declared
On December 3, 2024, Yoon temporarily declared martial law against the backdrop of a budget dispute, thereby plunging South Korea into a deep political crisis. The parliament in Seoul then voted to remove the then president, which the South Korean Constitutional Court confirmed in April.
If found guilty, he would be the third South Korean president to be convicted of sedition, following two military leaders in connection with a coup in 1979. If convicted, he could face life in prison or even the death penalty.
The ex-president resigned from his conservative party in May and thereby avoided being expelled from the party. The previous opposition leader Lee Jae Myung won the early presidential election in June.
At the beginning of December, a year after martial law was declared, Yoon defended his actions as a fight against “pro-Chinese, pro-North Korean and treasonous activities”, described his successor Lee as a dictator and called on his supporters to “rise up”. (sda/afp/cst)