A special counsel team on Tuesday sought the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing him of leading an insurrection through the unconstitutional declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The special prosecutors of the team described the martial law declaration as “an unprecedented and grave act of constitutional destruction.” The request for capital punishment came during the closing hearing of Yoon’s criminal trial, marking a pivotal moment in one of the most consequential cases in Korea’s modern constitutional history. Under Korea’s Criminal Act, the crime of leading an insurrection carries only three possible penalties: death, life imprisonment with labor or life imprisonment without labor. Fixed-term sentences and suspended sentences are not permitted. The prosecutors argued that Yoon was ultimately responsible for attempting to undermine the constitutional order by mobilizing the armed forces and police to suppress the National Assembly. Prosecutors said the actions posed a serious threat to democratic governance and warranted the harshest punishment