A special counsel team sought a 10-year prison term for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday over obstruction of justice and other charges tied to his December 2024 martial law declaration. During the final hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, prosecutor Cho Eun-suk's team criticized Yoon for severely undermining South Korea's rule of law. This trial marks the first of four martial law-related cases to conclude.
On December 26, 2025, the final hearing in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's obstruction of justice trial took place at the Seoul Central District Court. Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk's special counsel team demanded a total of 10 years in prison, citing Yoon's blockage of investigators' detention warrant in January 2025, violation of nine Cabinet members' rights by excluding them from a martial law review meeting, and drafting and destroying a revised proclamation after the decree's lift. Specifically, they sought five years for obstructing detention, three years for rights violations, distributing false press statements to foreign media, and deleting secure phone records of military commanders, and two years for the revised proclamation.
A team member stated, "The defendant's criminal acts seriously damaged law and order in the Republic of Korea and inflicted a large wound on the people who trusted him and chose him as president." They added that Yoon showed no regret during proceedings, instead repeatedly defending the legitimacy of his martial law declaration, and accused him of "privatizing" state institutions to conceal and justify his crimes.
This is the first of four trials linked to Yoon's failed December 2024 martial law bid, with the court expected to deliver a verdict on January 16, 2026—two days before his arrest warrant expires on January 18. Yoon's lawyers argued for delaying the ruling until after the insurrection trial concludes, but the judge rejected this. The insurrection case is slated to wrap up in early January, potentially leading to a verdict around February.
Yoon faces additional charges of leading an insurrection in other ongoing trials, highlighting ongoing political turmoil in South Korea.
