A South Korean court is set to deliver a closely watched verdict on insurrection charges against former President Yoon Suk Yeol in a criminal case that could see him sentenced to death over his shock declaration of martial law in 2024.
The Seoul Central District Court’s sentencing hearing on Thursday afternoon caps a yearlong trial that began shortly after Yoon’s ill-fated attempt to put the country under military rule. Prosecutors sought the death penalty for the ousted leader, citing the threat he posed to the country’s democracy and constitutional order. He could also be sentenced to life in prison.
Yoon was indicted last year on charges of insurrection following his abrupt decision to suspend civilian rule, a move that triggered the nation’s worst constitutional crisis in decades. The short-lived decree ultimately led to his impeachment and the first-ever arrest and indictment of a sitting president of South Korea.
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