Seoul: A special counsel team on Friday sought a 10-year prison term for former President Yoon Suk Yeol over obstruction of justice and other charges related to his failed attempt to declare martial law last year. The first verdict against him is set to be delivered next month.
According to Yonhap News Agency, special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team requested the sentence during the final hearing at the Seoul Central District Court. The team argued that the former president committed a "grave crime" by "privatizing" state institutions to conceal and justify his criminal actions. This request marks the first sentencing recommendation in Yoon's four ongoing trials linked to martial law-related charges.
A member of the special counsel team remarked, "The defendant's criminal acts seriously damaged law and order in the Republic of Korea and inflicted a large wound on the people who trusted him and chose him as president." The team criticized Yoon for not expressing regret or offering an apology during the trial, instead defending the legitimacy of his martial law declaration.
The charges against Yoon include obstructing justice by preventing investigators from detaining him in January and violating the rights of nine Cabinet members who were excluded from a meeting to review his martial law plan. He is also accused of drafting and destroying a revised proclamation after the decree was lifted and ordering the distribution of false press statements and the deletion of records from secure military phones.
In his final statement, Yoon denied all charges, asserting that "nothing can be too much" when it comes to presidential security. He attributed his failed martial law attempt to the opposition Democratic Party (DP), accusing them of paralyzing state affairs and obstructing the constitutional order.
The special counsel team demanded prison sentences of five years for obstructing detention, three years for violating Cabinet members' rights and distributing false statements, and two years for drafting the revised proclamation. They emphasized the need for strict accountability to repair the damage to the Constitution and prevent future abuses of power.
Yoon faces three other trials related to his failed martial law bid, including charges of leading an insurrection. The obstruction of justice trial will conclude first, with the court set to deliver its verdict on January 16, just two days before Yoon's arrest period expires. Despite his lawyers' request to delay the verdict until the insurrection trial concludes, the judge dismissed their claim. The insurrection trial is expected to conclude in early January, with a verdict possibly arriving in February.