Former President Yoon smiles in court as special counsel recommends death penalty

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol let out a faint, hollow smile as the special counsel team seeking to prosecute him for insurrection requested the death penalty on Tuesday night.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been indicted on charges of leading an insurrection, smiles while speaking with his attorneys during a sentencing hearing held Jan. 13 at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT]

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol let out a faint, hollow smile as the special counsel team seeking to prosecute him for insurrection requested the death penalty on Tuesday night.

Yoon, who once during a mock trial as a law student at Seoul National University sentenced former President Chun Doo Hwan to life imprisonment, faced a grim echo of that moment when prosecutors argued that Yoon deserved a harsher punishment than what former presidents Chun or Roh Tae-woo received to “prevent repeating a tragic past.”

“The minimum punishment under the law is capital punishment,” special counsel Park Eok-su said at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul. “There are no grounds for leniency, and instead, many for aggravation. We therefore request the death penalty for the defendant Yoon Suk Yeol.”

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks with his attorney Yun Gap-geun during a sentencing hearing for charges of leading an insurrection at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Jan. 13. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT]

Yoon maintained a neutral expression as the prosecution’s recommendation was read, but cracked a smile upon hearing the words “death penalty,” glancing around the courtroom. From the audience came audible reactions including “crazy [expletive]” and “ridiculous,” followed by scattered laughter. Yoon, still smiling, turned to scan the audience.

During the hearing, Yoon occasionally whispered to his attorney, Yun Gap-geun, with whom he also shared a chuckle. When Yoon’s other attorney Kim Hong-il, who had briefly stepped out during the prosecution's remarks, returned to the courtroom, Yoon turned to him with a broad smile and struck up a conversation. For the most part, he listened silently, occasionally adjusting his seat, smacking his lips or rubbing his nose and ears.

At one point, Yoon broke into a laugh when special counsel Park described how Yoon had “ordered lawmakers to be threatened at gunpoint and forcibly dragged out,” with those orders relayed to the military and police on the ground. He also scoffed when the prosecution said, “We must ensure that democracy is never again damaged in the name of consolidating power.”

The hearing then moved on to sentencing recommendations for the remaining seven co-defendants. Yoon, again expressionless, faced forward as each was read, occasionally smiling while whispering to Yun.

Special counsel Park Eok-su, left, attends a sentencing hearing for former President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 13. [NEWS1]

Park requested life imprisonment for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, 30 years in prison for former Defense Intelligence Command chief Noh Sang-won and 10 to 20 years for other former military and police officials.

The former defense minister nodded solemnly after hearing his sentence recommendation, while former National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho, who faces 15 years, held his head in his hands throughout.

Yoon had previously touted his role in the mock trial of Chun during his college years, saying, “My understanding of history then and now has never changed.” But on Tuesday, the prosecution cited the former president’s own reference to Chun as it made the case for a more severe sentence for Yoon. The name “Chun Doo Hwan” was mentioned seven times in the prosecution’s remarks.

“This case shows that an even sterner judgment is needed than the one handed down to Chun and Roh, to ensure such tragic history is never repeated,” the special prosecutor said. “We must take seriously the possibility of recurrence when determining the sentence.”

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives for the second sentencing hearing on charges of leading an insurrection at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 13. [SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT]

Courtroom No. 417 at the Seoul Central District Court, where Yoon’s sentencing hearing was held, is the same courtroom where Chun was both sentenced to death and handed the verdict. The now-iconic photograph of Chun and Roh standing side by side in sky blue prison uniforms and white rubber shoes was taken in this very room.

Yoon is the fifth former president to appear in this courtroom as a defendant. Chun and Roh stood trial there in 1996, followed by Park Geun-hye in 2017 and Lee Myung-bak in 2018.

The prosecution began presenting its sentencing arguments at 8:50 p.m., after the defense spent nearly nine hours examining evidence and offering final statements. Yoon delivered a closing remark as well.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM BO-REUM, CHOI SEO-IN, JO SU-BIN [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]