SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – An independent counsel has requested a 10-year prison sentence for South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol. This request marks the first of seven criminal cases linked to his controversial attempt to impose martial law in 2024, along with various allegations from his time in office.
The concluded trial addresses several serious charges against Yoon, including obstructing authorities from their investigations and attempts to detain him. Yoon's defense team has described the 10-year sentence request as "excessive," asserting that the independent counsel led by Cho Eun-suk is politically motivated and lacks sufficient legal grounds for such a severe punishment. The court is anticipated to announce a verdict as early as next month.
Yoon also faces multiple other trials that include a range of accusations, from corruption and favoritism to rebellion. The latter is particularly grave, with potential penalties ranging from life imprisonment to capital punishment. This rebellion trial is also progressing towards its conclusion.
The imposition of martial law by Yoon led to a significant political upheaval, involving armed troops on the streets of Seoul and generating the most severe political crisis in South Korea in recent decades. The martial law was short-lived, lasting just a few hours as lawmakers managed to convene in the National Assembly and subsequently voted to lift it. By December 2024, Yoon was impeached by the opposition-controlled parliament and was formally removed from office following a ruling by the Constitutional Court in April.
On Friday, counsel Cho's team submitted a request to the Seoul Central District Court for Yoon to receive a 10-year imprisonment for charges that entail obstruction of official duties, abuse of power, falsification of documents, and evidence destruction. Following his impeachment, Yoon allegedly sheltered in his residence, impeding authorities' attempts to execute a detention warrant against him for weeks. This standoff raised concerns about potential physical confrontations between Yoon's presidential security personnel and those tasked with detaining him while exacerbating national divisions.
According to senior investigator Park Eok-su from Cho's team, Yoon's behavior was unprecedented in its obstruction of official duties. Yoon’s legal representatives, however, argue that the detention warrant was invalid and illegal.
Compounding the allegations, Yoon is accused of circumventing a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before enacting martial law and fabricating documents pertinent to this declaration. Additionally, he reportedly ordered the deletion of data from phones used by individuals involved in the martial law's imposition. Yoon has categorically denied these accusations, maintaining that his decree was intended to garner public support in his struggle against the main liberal opposition party, the Democratic Party, which had impeached several of his top officials and obstructed his agenda.
A recent six-month investigation concluded by Cho's team indicated that Yoon had planned for more than a year to impose martial law with the intent of neutralizing political opponents and consolidating power. In other ongoing trials, Yoon faces accusations related to his administration's alleged order of drone flights over North Korea to intentionally heighten tensions and advance his martial law agenda, as well as committing perjury during the trial of his prime minister. Additionally, he faces charges linked to manipulating the investigation of a marine's drowning in 2023 and accepting free polling services from an election broker in exchange for political favors.
Yoon has consistently denied knowledge of the drone flights and has refuted any alleged wrongdoing in the influence-peddling controversy.
