Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol could face the death penalty if he is convicted of raising a rebellion in the country.
Prosecutors reportedly asked the court for the death penalty on conviction, eschewing the alternative option of life imprisonment, according to international media.
Yoon was removed from the presidency in April 2025, some months after he attempted to impose martial law on the country in December 2024.
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The short-lived alleged coup lasted just over a day, from the night of December 3 until early in the morning on December 4.
Yoon, both publicly and in court, has attempted to frame his declaration as a symbolic display of crisis and an attempt to raise public awareness of what he described as the danger posed by the opposition Democratic Party.
The party had used its legislative majority to block and obstruct substantial parts of Yoon's agenda.
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Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk's legal team has asked the court impose the death penalty on conviction despite no lives being lost in the alleged self-coup, claiming Yoon's intentions were nonetheless violent.
They characterised his martial law decree as "anti-state activities" and "a self-coup".
Cho's team alleged that Yoon aimed to prolong his rule by neutralising the constitutional structure of state governance systems.
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Speaking at the same courtroom later, Yoon slammed investigations about his rebellion charges, saying they've been "frenzied" and that they have involved "manipulation" and "distortion".
A verdict is expected next month.
South Korea has not carried out an execution in almost 30 years, with the last such sentence being carried out in 1997.
Former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who ruled from 1980 to 1988, was sentenced to death in 1996 for crimes including treason, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and he was later pardoned.
– with Associated Press.
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