South Korean prosecutors have sought a 10-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol in one of the criminal cases brought against him. However, the request does not concern the main charge, but only one of several counts, reports Adyrna.
According to representatives of the special prosecution team, Yoon committed a “serious crime” by “privatizing” state institutions in an effort to conceal and justify his actions.
“The defendant’s criminal acts caused significant damage to the rule of law in the Republic of Korea and inflicted great harm on citizens who entrusted him with power,” the prosecution said in a statement.
It was also noted that during the trial the former president showed no remorse or apology. On the contrary, he maintained his position that the imposition of martial law had been lawful.
The requested sentence relates to charges of obstructing justice and a number of related actions. According to the indictment, these acts were committed in December 2024 in connection with Yoon Suk Yeol’s attempt to impose martial law in the country.
Prosecutors say that in January the former president obstructed investigators’ attempts to detain him. He also violated the rights of nine cabinet ministers who were not invited to a meeting at which the plan to impose martial law was discussed. After martial law was lifted, he drafted a revised version of the proclamation and later ordered it to be destroyed.
In addition, Yoon is accused of instructing the dissemination of false information about the imposition of the regime to the media, as well as ordering the deletion of records from the secure official phones of senior military commanders at the time.
The prosecution has requested the following sentences for the individual episodes:
- 5 years for obstructing arrest;
- 3 years for violating ministers’ rights, spreading false information in the foreign press, and deleting phone data;
- 2 years for drafting the revised proclamation text.
At present, Yoon Suk Yeol is involved in three additional court cases related to his attempt to impose martial law. The most serious among them is the charge of leading an insurrection.
The case concerning obstruction of justice will be concluded first: the verdict is expected on January 16, two days before Yoon’s detention period expires.
Although the defense requested that the ruling in the insurrection case be postponed until the other case is concluded, the court rejected the motion. Hearings in the insurrection case are expected to conclude in early January, with a verdict possibly issued in February.
It should be recalled that Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office on April 4 following the failed attempt to impose martial law. At that time, an arrest warrant was issued for a sitting president for the first time in the country’s history.
