[Anchor]
The special counsel team has demanded the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is on trial for charges of leading an insurrection, during his second-trial appeal hearing. The special counsel stated that the insurrection instigated by the former president is an unforgivable crime destroying the constitutional order, adding that the life sentence handed down in the first trial is too lenient.
Reporter Park Yerim has the details.
[Reporter]
During the appeal sentencing hearing for former President Yoon Suk Yeol held at the Seoul High Court this morning (the 29th),
the special counsel team demanded the death penalty, the maximum sentence allowed by law, just as they did in the first trial, arguing that the life imprisonment sentenced by the first-instance court last February was too light.
Along with former President Yoon, the special counsel demanded life imprisonment for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was indicted for playing a key role in the insurrection and abuse of authority; 30 years in prison for former Defense Intelligence Command Chief Noh Sang-won; and prison terms ranging from 10 to 20 years for the remaining five defendants.
Explaining the rationale behind the sentencing recommendations, the special counsel stated, "The December 3 insurrection shattered all common sense and the achievements of constitutional history, and it is an unforgivable crime that destroyed the constitutional order."
In particular, addressing the first-trial ruling which concluded that the December 3 martial law lacked substantive and procedural requirements but did not constitute an insurrection in itself, the special counsel argued that if martial law was utilized for the purpose of disturbing the national constitution, the act itself constitutes a riot.
Furthermore, regarding the first-instance court's judgment that the martial law was decided upon impulsively, the special counsel asserted that even based on the facts acknowledged by the lower court, it was an insurrection prepared over eight months, defining the martial law as a self-coup executed to secure long-term monopolization of power and emphasizing the necessity for strict punishment.
Counsel for former President Yoon responded to the special counsel's closing argument and sentencing demand by asserting that it revealed the prosecution to be a political indictment driven by unilateral claims rather than evidence and legal principles.
[Bae Eui-cheol / Attorney for Former President Yoon Suk Yeol: This sentencing recommendation revealed the true face of a political special counsel that sold the conscience of political power and presented only arguments ordered of them.]
After listening to the final arguments from former President Yoon's side scheduled for the 5th of next month, the court plans to announce the date for the final ruling.
(Photo: Yonhap News) (Video by Yang Hyun-chul, Video Editing by Yu Mira)
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