Why was Yoon Suk-yeol sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial instead of death penalty? Yoon Suk-yeol was found guilty of leading a coup, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial. He can appeal against this sentence.
This life imprisonment is not the original request from the prosecution. After a long trial, Yoon Suk-yeol was previously sought for the death penalty by the special investigation team last month, as they believed that Yoon Suk-yeol used public power for personal ambition, and the "leader of the coup" charge was established.
The judge today explained the sentencing of Yoon Suk-yeol. The first consideration was that the suspect was the main organizer of the coup, and throughout the entire trial, he showed no remorse and did not admit his guilt.
However, the final verdict was life imprisonment.
For Yoon Suk-yeol, life imprisonment and the death penalty are essentially the same; he would never leave prison alive. Unless he is pardoned by a president with a soft heart.
From the public opinion survey in South Korea before the Spring Festival, 43% of South Koreans believed that the possibility of a life imprisonment sentence was relatively high. After the sentence of life imprisonment, the impact on society is relatively low, and to some extent, society accepts this life imprisonment and hopes for a quick end to the division. Judges really do follow the people's will.
South Korea has a three-tier judicial system, and the legal battle is still very long ahead.
In the existing judicial system of South Korea, there was no specialized court for trying the crime of coup. Now, through the ruling party, which is in the majority and is progressive, the National Assembly has established a court for the crime of coup, and selected some judges who tend to be against Yoon Suk-yeol to try the case. Does this violate the Korean Constitution, which stipulates the independence of judges?
This is an obvious point of contention.
The possibility of overturning the first-instance verdict is not non-existent. Old Yoon may not be a dead fish yet.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857538070376455/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.