Yoon Suk Yeol flashes faint smile at death penalty request... Audience shouts “crazy bastard,” “son of a bitch”

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[Financial News] The Special Prosecutor's Team for Insurrection sought the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been detained and indicted on charges of undermining the constitutional order through the proclamation of the December 3 emergency martial law.
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On the 13th, during the closing arguments hearing in the case against former President Yoon on charges including leading an insurrection and abuse of power by obstructing the exercise of rights, held before Criminal Division 25 of the Seoul Central District Court (presiding judge Jee Kui-yeon), the Special Prosecutor's Team for Insurrection requested that the court hand down the death sentence. It is the first time in roughly 30 years that prosecutors have sought the death penalty for a former president, the last instance being former President Chun Doo-hwan.
During the hearing, when the special prosecutor's team argued that Yoon had deployed the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command (ROK-SWC) to eliminate his political opponents and that large-scale pro- and anti-government rallies and violent incidents at the courts during arrests and detentions had brought social safety and the rule of law to a state of serious breakdown, the former president let out a wry laugh and leaned over to speak to the attorney seated next to him.
When the team referred to allegations that they had attempted to arrest and detain key figures such as Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-shik, then Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung, former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, as well as staff members of the National Election Commission (NEC), Yoon exchanged glances with his lawyer and the two smiled.
When the special prosecutor's team stated, “The statutory punishment for the crime of leading an insurrection is death, life imprisonment, or life confinement,” Yoon shook his head with a blank expression.
After the team spent about 38 minutes presenting its sentencing recommendations and concluded, “The defendant shows no remorse, and there are no circumstances that would warrant leniency in sentencing. Among the statutory penalties for the crime of leading an insurrection, the only punishment that is not the minimum is the death penalty. We hereby request the death penalty for Yoon Suk Yeol,” the former president briefly gave a faint, incredulous smile and then swept his gaze across the gallery.
From the audience seats, shouts of insults such as “You crazy bastard” and “You son of a bitch” erupted.
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Earlier, the special prosecutor's team argued, “Yoon Suk Yeol, through unconstitutional and unlawful emergency martial law, crippled the functions of the National Assembly and the National Election Commission, and posed a grave threat to the people’s political freedoms and to their rights to life and bodily integrity,” adding, “Never again must there be a case where democracy is undermined for the purpose of maintaining power,” as they laid out the grounds for seeking the death penalty.
They went on to say, “The greatest victims are our people, who defended democracy through sacrifices in the struggle against dictatorship and authoritarianism,” stressing that “core constitutional values such as democracy and the rule of law, and fundamental rights such as precious freedoms, were toppled in an instant by the insurrection.”
The team further contended, “By deceiving the public, mobilizing the military and police to physically blockade the National Assembly, and even infringing upon the deliberative authority of the Cabinet, which is an essential procedure under the Constitution, he fundamentally destroyed the operational structure of the state,” criticizing that “far from apologizing to the people, he continues to justify his actions, incites his supporters, and irresponsibly brands subordinates who have bravely come forward to testify as liars.”
They added, “The Republic of Korea (South Korea) economy suffered a shock, and instability deepened across the broader economy,” and rebuked that “trust in the state that had been built up over a long period was damaged in a short time, and there is a high likelihood that these negative effects will persist in the long term.”
For former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, who was indicted alongside Yoon on charges of participating in key duties related to the insurrection, the team requested life imprisonment, while for former Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency Jo Jiho, they sought a 20-year prison term.
The first-instance verdict for former President Yoon is expected to be handed down as early as the middle of next month.
moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter