Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is currently facing the final session of his trial on charges of insurrection, with prosecutors poised to request a death sentence or life imprisonment. The Seoul Central District Court was initially scheduled to hear the sentencing request on Friday, January 9, 2026, though a subsequent hearing has been set for Tuesday, January 13, 2026, for the sentencing request. Yoon, who served as president from 2022 until his removal in 2025, is accused of masterminding an insurrection through his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. Prosecutors allege that Yoon, alongside then-defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, began planning as early as October 2023 to suspend parliament, seize legislative powers, and label political opponents as "anti-state forces" for detention. Furthermore, allegations include an attempt to create a pretext for martial law by escalating tensions with North Korea via a covert drone operation. The martial law declaration, although revoked within hours, plunged South Korea into political turmoil. This led to Yoon's impeachment by the National Assembly on December 14, 2024, a decision unanimously upheld by the Constitutional Court on April 4, 2025, officially terminating his presidency. The current trial represents a significant legal and political event, as South Korean law allows for the death penalty or life imprisonment for the crime of leading an insurrection. Yoon, who is 65, denies the charges, asserting that declaring martial law was within his presidential powers and intended to address opposition obstruction. Following his impeachment, Lee Jae Myung became the new president of South Korea on June 4, 2025, after a snap election.