The Tamesis
January 14, 2026
Seoul – Special prosecutor Cho Eun-seok’s team asked the court on Tuesday to sentence former President Yoon Seok-yeol to death for rebellion and abuse of power as South Korea’s top official.
If convicted, Yoon would become the second former president in the country’s history to be sentenced as a rebel leader.
Former President Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to death for rebellion and other crimes, but his sentence was later commuted to life in prison in 1996, but the charges remained unchanged. He was pardoned the following year. Jeon’s successor and co-defendant, former President Roh Tae-woo, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in the rebellion.
“Rebellion is a crime that endangers the basic order established by the Constitution,” the special prosecutor said at a sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court before Judge Jee Kui-youn.
The statement said the crimes of Yoon and his officials must be punished more severely than Quan Chun, adding that he clearly declared martial law in order to perpetuate his dictatorial rule of the country.
The court is scheduled to rule on Yin’s rebellion charges on February 19.
Seven former senior military and police officials are on trial alongside Yin for their alleged involvement in martial law. The special prosecutor requested that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun be sentenced to life imprisonment, and that former commander of South Korea’s National Defense Intelligence Command Noh Sang-won be sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Cho’s team asked the court to sentence former National Police Agency Chief Cho Ji-ho to 20 years in prison.
Yoon is accused of leading the rebellion by undermining the constitutional order through martial law, which the Constitutional Court ruled as unlawful and unlawful on December 3. He is also believed to have ordered the arrests of prominent politicians, including then Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung (now president), National Assembly Speaker Oh Won-sik, and People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon.
Among the illegal acts allegedly committed by Yoon during the brief martial law period were blockading the National Assembly and ordering the suspension of parliamentary activities. Although police and troops were dispatched to the compound, lawmakers forced their way in or sneaked inside and passed a motion to lift Mr Yin’s martial law.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea said on Tuesday morning that Yoon should be sentenced to the harshest punishment allowed by law, calling him a “rebel leader who tramples on the constitution and democracy and threatens people’s lives.”
“(The party) will pay attention to whether the rebel leaders and their accomplices receive the highest possible punishment in accordance with the law and principles,” Democratic House leader Han Byung-do said.
The party’s special prosecutors committee investigating the rebellion said Yoon’s criminal charges were clear and condemned the defendants’ blatant attempts on Friday to delay legal proceedings.
The sentencing hearing was originally scheduled to end on Friday but was postponed as former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun spent more than eight hours reviewing paper evidence.
Kim’s lawyers publicly stated that the legal team had given Yin’s defense team a full day to present their case.
“This is not just a matter of procedure, but a clear delaying tactic and a challenge to the legal system,” the committee said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Yin Fang denied that defense lawyers deliberately delayed the hearing and accused the special prosecutor of slowing down the trial by questioning witnesses who were not directly related to the defendants.
