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Special prosecutors seek death penalty for Yoon on appeal

The appeal challenges a life sentence, with prosecutors arguing that the former South Korean president's martial law declaration warrants the maximum punishment.

Channel: MBCNEWS ·

South KoreaStory of October 30, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of MBCNEWS's most watched videos since yesterday, with 732,857 views.

MBCNEWS: The news division of MBC, a publicly owned South Korean broadcaster. 6.2M subscribers and 31B views.

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Things we can learn from the video

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1:25The broadcast revisits the lower court's ruling sentencing Yoon to life imprisonment.
4:42MBC examines the court's mitigation reasoning, including efforts to avoid extreme physical violence.
9:05A reporter explains why special prosecutors are renewing their demand for the death penalty.
11:09Civic groups call for the maximum statutory punishment at press conferences.
13:39Yoon's handwritten final statement denies an attempted coup and criticizes the opposition.
16:43Deputy Special Prosecutor Park Eok-soo delivers the closing argument seeking death rather than life imprisonment.

South Korea's special prosecution team has again requested the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, arguing on appeal that his life sentence for leading an insurrection was too lenient.

South Korea's Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) reports that prosecutors made the request at the appeal's closing hearing on October 29. It is a sentencing demand, not a new death sentence handed down by the court.

The case concerns Yoon's December 3, 2024, declaration of martial law. The declaration suspended political activities and imposed press restrictions, bringing troops into a confrontation with the country's democratic institutions. Yoon was removed from the presidency in 2025.

The broadcast revisits the lower court's life-imprisonment ruling before examining why prosecutors want it replaced. According to MBC, the court's reasons for imposing a lesser punishment included efforts to avoid extreme physical violence. The report contrasts that reasoning with footage of clashes and testimony about the deployment of troops.

An exchange involving former Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jong-geun addresses instructions not to distribute live ammunition to individual soldiers. MBC places that evidence within the larger dispute over whether limits on the troops' conduct should mitigate punishment for the operation itself.

Prosecutors argue that an elected president sending armed forces against the public amounted to an attack on the constitutional order. Deputy Special Prosecutor Park Eok-soo's closing argument calls for death rather than life imprisonment. The broadcast also draws comparisons with former military ruler Chun Doo-hwan's 1996 sentencing and shows civic groups demanding the maximum statutory penalty.

Yoon rejects the characterization of his actions as an attempted coup. In an extensive handwritten final statement shown in the report, he portrays the declaration as an appeal for citizens to scrutinize politics and government, while criticizing the opposition.

The central question in MBC's coverage is therefore not whether prosecutors have changed their position. They are renewing their demand, asking the appeals court to reject the lower court's reasons for sparing Yoon the maximum sentence.

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