South Korea’s special prosecutor has requested the death penalty for former president Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law declaration in 2024.
The request came as Yoon’s trial wrapped up late Tuesday. The court is expected to deliver its ruling on Feb. 19.
Yoon has been charged with leading an insurrection, a crime that is not shielded by presidential immunity and carries the maximum penalty of death.
If carried out, it would be South Korea’s first execution in almost 30 years.
Amnesty International has classified the country as “abolitionist in practice,” noting that while South Korea still retains the death penalty, it has not executed anyone since 1997.
