Special counsel again seeks death penalty for South Korea's former President Yoon on appeal

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team said the life sentence was too lenient and that "there is no reason to hesitate" to impose the death penalty, Yonhap and SBS reported. The team argued that the risk of a wrongful conviction, the main objection to capital punishment, did not apply in this case, and that South Korea's practice of not carrying out executions should not stop a court from imposing one.

Yoon, charged as the ringleader of an insurrection, has said the martial law order, lifted about six hours later by a National Assembly vote, was meant as a warning to the opposition-controlled parliament. Under South Korean law, the only penalties for that charge are death, life imprisonment or life imprisonment without labor. Yoon's side is due to give its closing arguments on Nov. 5, after which the court will set a date for its ruling, SBS reported.

Why it matters: The appeal ruling will decide the sentence for a former head of state convicted of insurrection. South Korea has not carried out an execution since December 1997, Yonhap reported.