Full Breakdown
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Ye Ol Faces Death-Penalty Request in Insurrection Appeal
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In this breakdown
01
Prosecutors Seek Capital Punishment in Appeal Trial
On October 29, 2026, the special counsel team led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk presented a sentencing request to the Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 12-1, asking that former President Yoon Suk Ye Ol be sentenced to death for the insurrection charge stemming from his December 3, 2024, declaration of martial law. The request follows Yoon’s life-imprisonment sentence handed down by the Seoul Central District Court in February for the same conduct.
02
Background & Context
Yoon, who served as South Korea’s president from 2022 to 2024, declared emergency martial law on December 3, 2024, deploying troops and police to the National Assembly in an effort he said was meant to counter “antistate forces.” The measure lasted only a few hours before lawmakers broke the blockade and voted to overturn it. The Constitutional Court removed Yoon from office in April 2025 after upholding his impeachment, and he was re-arrested in July 2025. In addition to the insurrection case, Yoon faces seven other criminal proceedings, including allegations of his wife’s corruption and the 2023 death of a marine officer.
Visual evidence
Images from the story
![[Breaking News] Special Prosecutor seeks death penalty in the second trial of the Yoon Suk Yeol for the "head of a civil war."](https://wimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202610/29/news-p.v1.20260916.39d9e41ea8a944cd84cf464369fdf68f_T1.png)
03
Data & Statistics
- Eight criminal trials are pending against Yoon.
- South Korea has not carried out an execution since December 1997, effectively maintaining a moratorium on the death penalty.
- Under Korean criminal law, the only punishments for the ringleader of an insurrection are death, life imprisonment, or life imprisonment without labor.
- The lower-court life-sentence was imposed in February (year not specified in sources).
04
Official Statements & Responses
Prosecutors maintained that the long-standing execution moratorium should not preclude imposing the death penalty in a case they deem an “unforgivable crime.”
Yoon’s legal team countered that the prosecutors’ argument “lacks evidence and legal logic,” asserting that the martial-law order was intended solely to alert the public to opposition-led attempts to paralyze state affairs and that Yoon never intended to cause harm or establish authoritarian rule.
Amnesty International classifies South Korea as a “death-penalty abolitionist in practice,” noting the absence of executions since 1997.
05
Verbatim Quotes
- “The strongest argument for objection to the death penalty is the possibility of a misjudgment just in case, but in this case, there is no room for that.” — President Yoon, ousted former president
- “My individual may be more attacked and difficult, but I thought I should fight against the crossfire now.” — President Yoon, ousted former president
- “The act of destroying a free society should be responded in the way of a free society, and if you respond in a communist way, you will destroy freedom yourself.” — President Yoon, ousted former president
- “At the time of the decree, I never thought that the police would be deployed, and when I told the police that I needed outside support, I forgot the decree.” — President Yoon, ousted former president
06
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Two outlets reported the sentencing hearing on October 29: AA specified the year 2026, while SBS mentioned only the day and month. Both agree on the date of the hearing, but the year is omitted in the SBS report.