An independent counsel has asked a South Korean court to sentence ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to 10 years in prison in the first of seven trials tied to his aborted 2024 martial law attempt and other alleged abuses. Prosecutors allege obstruction, abuse of power, document falsification and evidence destruction, while Yoon's lawyers call the request politically motivated. The brief martial law order put troops on Seoul's streets, led to Yoon's impeachment in December 2024 and his removal by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. Prosecutors say Yoon plotted for over a year to use martial law to sideline rivals; Yoon denies the allegations.
Prosecutors Seek 10-Year Prison Term For Ousted President Yoon In Landmark Martial Law Trial
FILE - South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An independent counsel has asked a court to impose a 10-year prison sentence on ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol in the first of seven criminal trials tied to his failed 2024 attempt to impose martial law and other alleged misconduct during his presidency.
On Friday, prosecutors from independent counsel Cho Eun-suk's office asked the Seoul Central District Court to sentence Yoon on charges that include obstruction of official duties, abuse of power, falsification of official documents and destruction of evidence. Yoon's legal team called the request 'excessive,' accused Cho's office of political motivation and argued there is no legal basis for such a harsh punishment.
Charges and Allegations
Prosecutors say Yoon refused to cooperate with investigators and remained holed up at his residence for weeks after his December 2024 impeachment, obstructing efforts to execute a detention warrant. Officials warn the standoff risked physical clashes between his presidential security detail and those attempting to detain him.
A TV screen shows a file footage of South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Cho's indictment also alleges that Yoon bypassed a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before declaring martial law, falsified the martial law proclamation and other documents, and ordered the deletion of data from phones of officials involved in the effort to impose martial law.
Short-Lived Martial Law and Political Fallout
Yoon's proclamation briefly placed armed troops on the streets of Seoul and triggered what many observers described as South Korea's most serious political crisis in decades. The martial law order lasted only a few hours after lawmakers entered the National Assembly and voted to rescind it. The opposition-controlled National Assembly impeached Yoon in December 2024, and the Constitutional Court formally removed him from office in April 2025.
Broader Investigations
A TV screen shows a file footage of South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Cho's team concluded, after a six-month probe, that Yoon plotted for more than a year to impose martial law to sideline political rivals and concentrate power. Yoon faces additional trials on counts ranging from corruption and trading favors to rebellion — a charge that can carry life imprisonment or, in extreme cases, the death penalty.
Other allegations include ordering drone flights over North Korea to create a pretext for declaring martial law, committing perjury in the trial of his prime minister, attempting to influence the investigation into a marine's 2023 drowning, and receiving free opinion polls from an election broker in exchange for political favors.
Defence And Next Steps
Yoon denies wrongdoing, saying the martial law decree was intended to rally public support in his dispute with the main liberal opposition, the Democratic Party, which had impeached several of his senior aides and blocked parts of his agenda. His lawyers maintain the detention warrant was invalid.
The court could issue a verdict in the martial law case as early as next month. Trials in the parallel cases, including the closely watched rebellion case, are also approaching their conclusions.
