Prosecutors formally sought the death penalty at the 13 January 2026 final hearing in the insurgency trial of former South Korean president Yoon Suk-Yeol; sentencing is scheduled for 19 February 2026.

Advocacy groups including ADPAN and seven partners urged withdrawal of capital charges, noting South Korea’s de facto 28-year moratorium on executions and binding ICCPR obligations.

They argue the insurgency charges do not meet the “most serious crimes” threshold required to impose death and call on prosecutors and the court to commute any capital sentence and to take legislative steps toward abolition and strengthened due process safeguards.