Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends his trial on obstruction of justice charges at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Sept. 26, 2025. Yonhap
A special counsel team on Friday requested a five-year prison term for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of helping a former defense minister evade a criminal investigation by appointing him as ambassador to Australia in 2023.
Special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team requested the sentence during the final hearing of Yoon's trial at the Seoul Central District Court on charges of aiding a criminal's flight and abuse of power.
The former president is accused of appointing former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup as ambassador to Australia in November 2023 to help him evade an investigation into the alleged cover-up of a Marine's death earlier that year.
A central allegation in the cover-up case is that Yoon exerted pressure to reverse the findings of a Marine inquiry into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun to clear a Marine commander of responsibility. Chae died in July 2023 during an operation to rescue heavy rain victims in Yecheon, some 160 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
