India, July 24 -- A special counsel team asked a Seoul court Friday to sentence former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison for allegedly using the power of his office to appoint a former defence minister as ambassador to Australia in order to shield him from a criminal investigation, the latest legal front in a sprawling series of trials that have followed Yoon's failed declaration of martial law.

Special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team requested the sentence during the final hearing of Yoon's trial at the Seoul Central District Court on charges of aiding a criminal's flight and abuse of power. The prosecution came as the latest legal blow to a former leader who has been fighting multiple court battles simultaneo...