Prosecutors renew death penalty request for Yoon

Special counsel Cho Eunsuk’s team renewed its request for the death penalty for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Seoul High Court on October 29, arguing that his life sentence for insurrection was too lenient. The court has not ruled on the appeal or the prosecution’s request. Yoon is appealing a February conviction and life sentence for leading an insurrection stemming from his December 3, 2024, declaration of martial law. Prosecutors also sought the death penalty during his original trial. At the appeal hearing, they argued that the lower court had taken too narrow a view of the operation’s planning and seriousness, and that the failure of the martial-law effort resulted from public resistance and officials’ reluctance to follow orders, rather than restraint by Yoon. The lower court found that the deployment of troops to the National Assembly was intended to obstruct parliament’s work and detain political opponents. The martial-law order was lifted about six hours after it was announced, following a vote by lawmakers. Yoon has maintained that he declared martial law to warn the opposition-controlled parliament, not to establish authoritarian rule. His...