ISTANBUL

South Korea’s special prosecutor Tuesday demanded the death penalty for ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol over a failed martial law bid, Yonhap News reported.

Yoon, who is in jail, imposed martial law in December 2024 for a brief period before parliament upended his decision and subsequently was ousted from office by the Constitutional Court last April.

The 65-year-old politician was charged with leading an insurrection, which carries the maximum death penalty, besides life imprisonment.

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk described Yoon as the "ringleader of an insurrection who sought to stay in power by seizing control of the judiciary and legislature."

He asked the court to sentence Yoon to death during the final arguments in the case at Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25.

A verdict is expected next month.

On Monday, a Seoul court also held the first hearing of Yoon's trial on charges of benefiting the enemy over allegations of dispatching military drones to North Korea in 2024.

Yoon was arrested and indicted in January last year on charges of leading an insurrection, becoming the first sitting president in South Korea to be taken into custody. He was released in March, rearrested in July, and has remained detained since then.

He is facing multiple other trials linked to the failed martial law bid.

Last month, prosecutors sought a 10-year prison sentence for Yoon on obstruction of justice and other charges stemming from his 2024 attempt to impose martial law.