A South Korean court will deliver a verdict in former President Yoon Suk-yeol's insurrection trial on Feb. 19, local media reported Wednesday.
The ruling follows the sentencing request by South Korea's special counsel on Tuesday, which sought the death penalty for Yoon on charges of ringleading an insurrection by declaring unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law in the absence of war or equivalent national emergencies.
The Seoul Central District Court merged three trials last month for eight suspects, including Yoon and seven senior military and police officials charged with performing critical duties in the insurrection.
The team of Cho Eun-suk, independent counsel in charge of Yoon's insurrection and other relevant crimes, on Tuesday sought life imprisonment for former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, saying that Kim, a mastermind who planned and led the insurrection alongside Yoon by mobilizing the military, should inevitably face severe punishment given that his responsibility was immense.
The prosecutor also demanded 10 to 30 year's of prison terms for retired army intelligence chief No Sang-won, former Police Chief Cho Ji-ho, and other five senior military and police officials charged with performing critical duties in the insurrection.
The emergency martial law was declared by Yoon on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.
The constitutional court upheld a motion to impeach Yoon in April 2025, officially removing him from office. In January 2025, the ousted leader was indicted under detention as a suspected ringleader of the insurrection, becoming the first sitting president to be arrested and indicted.
South Korean court to deliver verdict in ex-president Yoon's insurrection trial on Feb. 19
