00:00South Korea's special prosecutor has requested the death penalty for former President Yoon Sook-yul
00:05over his brief imposition of martial law in late 2024.
00:10The request came as Yoon's trial wrapped up on Tuesday.
00:13The court is expected to deliver its ruling on February 5th, 19th.
00:19Prosecutors argue that Yoon's decision to ban all political activity
00:23and have the military seize the National Assembly
00:26during the short-lived martial law amounted to insurrection.
00:30Yoon, who has been on trial since his arrest in January 2025,
00:34denied the allegations, saying he never intended to target the legislature or arrest political leaders.
00:40Under South Korean law, a conviction carries only two possible sentences,
00:45death or life imprisonment.
00:46However, even if the court accepts the special prosecutor's request,
00:51Yoon is unlikely to be executed.
00:53South Korea has not carried out any executions since the end of 1997.
00:58The last leader sentenced to death for similar charges
01:01was former dictator Chun Do Hwan in 1979,
01:05though his sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment.
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