SEOUL — A special counsel on Thursday sought the death penalty for former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol in his appeal trial over insurrection stemming from his failed attempt to impose martial law in the country.The team of Cho Eun-suk, independent counsel in charge of Yoon’s insurrection and other relevant crimes, requested the death penalty for Yoon on charges of orchestrating the insurrection by declaring an unconstitutional emergency martial law despite the absence of war or equivalent national emergencies, Yonhap News Agency reported.Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment in February for leading an insurrection through his failed martial law bid in December 2024, which lasted only a few hours before it was successfully blocked and overturned by the National Assembly.Prosecutors first sought the death penalty in January of this year.Yoon faces a total of eight trials in connection with his martial law attempt, his wife’s alleged corruption and the 2023 death of a marine officer.He was formally removed from office in April 2025 after the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld his impeachment over his Dec. 3, 2024 martial law declaration, triggering a snap presidential election.
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