Seoul: A special counsel team on Monday sought a 20-year prison term for former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae on charges of playing a key role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid and granting undue favors to Yoon's wife.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the team led by special counsel Cho Eun-suk made the sentence request during the final hearing of Park's trial at the Seoul Central District Court. The prosecution emphasized the necessity for a strict judgment to "sound the alarm on a jurist who destroys the law."

Park is accused of playing a significant role in an insurrection by convening a meeting of senior justice ministry officials following Yoon's December 2024 martial law declaration. The meeting aimed to review the dispatch of prosecutors to a martial law-supporting body, assess correctional facilities' capacity, and mobilize officials responsible for imposing travel bans.

Additionally, Park allegedly issued inappropriate orders to his subordinates in response to a request from Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, in May 2024. These orders were intended to scrutinize certain details of the prosecution's investigation into suspicions surrounding her alleged corruption.

The special counsel team also requested a three-year prison term for former Minister of Government Legislation Lee Wan-kyu. He faces charges of providing false testimony to the National Assembly, denying any discussion of the martial law order at a meeting held at a presidential safe house immediately after the decree was lifted.