Prosecutors seek the death penalty for the ex-president of South Korea, Yoon. Former president Yoon will be met with a death sentence if he is found guilty for his failed attempt to impose martial law. “A court in Seoul heard closing arguments in Yoon’s trial, in which he was accused of being ‘ringleader on insurrection” (BBC). This quote proves that the jury has already had an opinion on how Yoon’s case looks to them, as well as the country. 

The charge stems from Yoon’s attempts in December of 2024 to impose military rule in South Korea. So far, Yoon has denied the charges against him, arguing that martial law was a symbolic gesture to draw public attention to the wrongdoings of the opposition party. BBC News states, “South Korea has not executed anyone in nearly 30 years. In 1996, former military dictator, Chun-Doo-Hwan, was given the death penalty for seizing power in a military coup in 1979, though his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.” These death sentences show how extreme these measures will be taken due to the severity of the sentence. Overall, the death sentence shows why Yoon is in such a hard position; he will make history if he is found guilty and is put on death row.