Prosecutor may request life in prison or death sentence for Yoon on Friday: Sources
Published: 09 Jan. 2026, 08:57
Updated: 09 Jan. 2026, 12:35
![Commuters watch news coverage at Seoul Station on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, after then-President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a national address. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/09/87215289-31b7-4ca2-83d5-b72fe43a4ede.jpg)
Commuters watch news coverage at Seoul Station on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, after then-President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a national address. [NEWS1]
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol could face the death penalty or life in prison for attempting to incite an insurrection by declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, with special prosecutor Cho Eun-seok expected to announce the final sentencing recommendation at Yoon’s trial soon.
The special prosecutor's team convened on Thursday to discuss the sentence, according to legal sources. Most members reportedly agreed that life imprisonment, not capital punishment, would be the more appropriate recommendation. The final decision will be announced at the sentencing hearing on Friday at the Seoul Central District Court.
"Special prosecutor Cho has gathered all opinions and will likely make a decision after some more deliberation," an insider told reporters on Thursday.
Yoon, as a Seoul National University law student in 1980, called for the death penalty for then-President Chun Doo Hwan in a mock trial, now stands accused of leading an unconstitutional power grab. While the Dec. 3 martial law did not result in civilian deaths, prosecutors argue the plan’s scope — including the drafting of illegal arrest lists for political figures — posed a grave threat to Korea’s democratic order.
Cho is also taking into account that Yoon refused to cooperate with the investigation. After being detained in July, Yoon ignored all summons and even resisted forced escort from his detention cell. He did not attend any of the court hearings in his insurrection trial over the past four months.
The last time prosecutors sought the death penalty for a president was in 1996, when Chun was convicted of the 1980 coup and the Gwangju massacre. While Chun was sentenced to death in the first trial, the sentence was reduced to life in prison on appeal. His co-defendant, former President Roh Tae-woo, received a 17-year prison sentence.
Yoon’s sentencing hearing, along with those of seven others involved in the case, is scheduled to begin at 9:20 a.m. Friday.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM SEONG-JIN, SUK GYEONG-MIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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