Former South Korean President Sentenced Today, Death Penalty Under Consideration
A South Korean court was due on Thursday (19 February) to deliver its verdict against former President Yoon Suk Yeol on insurrection charges related to his imposition of martial law. The court was considering whether Yoon should receive the death penalty for his failed attempt to impose military rule.
Yoon abruptly declared martial law in a televised address in December 2024, stating that the drastic measure was necessary to eradicate what he described as “anti-state forces”.
The 65-year-old hardline conservative was subsequently impeached, arrested, and charged with a series of criminal offences ranging from insurrection to obstruction of justice.
South Korean prosecutors sought the maximum penalty for the insurrection charge, urging the Seoul Central District Court to impose the death sentence on Yoon during trial proceedings held in January.
However, South Korea maintains an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty — the last execution was carried out in 1997. A death sentence would effectively mean Yoon would spend the remainder of his life in prison.
This was reported by AFP on Thursday (19 February 2026).
The sentencing hearing for Yoon was scheduled for Thursday (19 February) at approximately 3:00 pm local time. Millions of South Korean citizens were expected to follow proceedings as the court delivered its ruling in a trial broadcast live by local television stations.
Yoon has been held in solitary confinement whilst facing the various trials against him. He has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, arguing that his actions were intended to “safeguard freedom” and restore constitutional order against what he termed a “legislative dictatorship” controlled by the opposition.
South Korean prosecutors accused Yoon of leading an “insurrection” driven by a “lust for power aimed at dictatorship and prolonged rule”.
Under South Korean law, only two sentences are applicable for the charge of insurrection: life imprisonment or death.
South Korean legal commentator Yoo Jung Hoon, a practising lawyer, predicted that the court would likely hand down a life sentence.
“Yoon has not pleaded guilty nor expressed remorse, so it would be difficult for the bench to give him a lighter sentence than life imprisonment,” he said.
Yoon has already received a five-year prison sentence on lesser charges. Meanwhile, his wife Kim Keon Hee was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment in early January on bribery charges unrelated to the martial law episode.