Seoul: A special counsel team on Monday sought a 15-year prison term for former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min over his alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law.

According to Yonhap News Agency, special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team demanded the sentence during the final hearing of Lee's trial at the Seoul Central District Court. The team argued that the former minister "took part in the crime of destroying the Constitution" despite being aware of the illegality of Yoon's martial law declaration, given his previous experience as a judge for 14 years.

Lee was indicted under arrest in August on charges of playing a key role in an insurrection. He is accused of not actively stopping Yoon from declaring the decree in December 2024 and instructing police and fire agencies to disrupt critical media outlets by cutting off their power and water supplies. Additionally, Lee faced charges of perjury for denying during Yoon's impeachment trial last year that he received or conveyed such instructions from the then president to the agencies.