Foreign media issue urgent alerts over death penalty sought for Yoon Suk Yeol: "Martial law declaration shocks South Korea and the world"

[Financial News] After the special prosecutor sought the maximum legal penalty of death for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been on trial on charges of leading an insurrection, major foreign media outlets carried the news as urgent alerts.
On the 13th, The New York Times (NYT) reported on the prosecution’s request for the death penalty, saying, "Former President Yoon’s attempt to declare martial law in South Korea triggered the country’s worst political crisis in decades, the first such attempt since the 1980s."
Agence France-Presse (AFP) also reported that "Former President Yoon, who became the first sitting president to be detained, is set to become the third president to be convicted of insurrection."
Foreign media on this day also explained that the special prosecutor’s sentencing request may not be fully accepted by the court, thereby shedding light on South Korea’s judicial system.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in the United States wrote, "South Koreans fought a hard battle in the late 1980s to win democracy. Former President Yoon’s declaration of martial law shocked the entire nation and forced many people to relive painful memories."
It continued, "The death penalty carries symbolic significance in South Korea. The country has not carried out an execution since 1997," adding, "Former President Chun Doo-hwan was also sentenced to death, but his sentence was later commuted. Several other former South Korean leaders have been imprisoned on criminal charges, only to be pardoned and released later."
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) described former President Yoon’s declaration of martial law as something that "lasted only a few hours but plunged South Korea into political turmoil," adding that "Yoon declared martial law, shocking not only South Korea but the entire world."
It went on to say, "There are no mitigating circumstances with respect to sentencing, and therefore a severe punishment is warranted," reporting that the special prosecutor had requested the death penalty, before explaining, "However, in South Korea, the sentences requested by prosecutors are not automatically accepted by the courts."
Japan’s Nikkei also noted, "The statutory penalties for the crime of leading an insurrection include the death penalty and life imprisonment," and added, "South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997 and is effectively considered a country that has abolished the death penalty in practice."
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter