(ATTN: UPDATES with details, background)
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) — A special counsel team on Thursday sought a two-year prison term for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of giving false testimony during former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s insurrection trial.
Special counsel Cho Eun-suk’s team requested the sentence during the first and final hearing of Yoon’s perjury trial at the Seoul Central District Court, saying the former president gave the false impression that the Cabinet meeting he convened before declaring martial law in December 2024 was planned before Han suggested it.
“The defendant claims that he held the Cabinet meeting in order to declare martial law but he did not prepare the relevant documents in advance,” a member of the team said.
“On the contrary, he colluded with Han Duck-soo and (former Defense Minister) Kim Yong-hyun to write a false martial law proclamation after the event,” he added.
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) attends former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s (L) insurrection trial at the Seoul Central District Court in the capital on Nov. 19, 2025, in this file photo provided by the court. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
During Han’s trial in November, Yoon was asked as a witness whether the then prime minister had proposed convening a Cabinet meeting to make the martial law declaration appear procedurally lawful.
Yoon protested that the question was loaded and retorted, “Cabinet members are not dolls who came to create an outward appearance.”
The special counsel indicted him for alleged perjury in December, suspecting that Yoon initially had no plans to hold a Cabinet meeting but changed his mind after Han said it would give his martial law declaration more legitimacy.
“The crime is serious as he actively gave false testimony during a trial watched by the entire nation,” the special counsel team member said.
“Even now, instead of reflecting on himself, the defendant is repeating false claims to cover up the truth, making severe punishment necessary.”
Yoon, who has been held in custody since July, is standing a total of eight trials in connection with his failed martial law bid, his wife’s alleged corruption and the 2023 death of a Marine.
In the first-instance trial of the main case, he was sentenced in February to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection through the martial law attempt.
hague@yna.co.kr
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