South Korea’s impeached and arrested president Yoon Suk Yeol was formally charged on Sunday with leading an insurrection when martial law was briefly imposed last month.
Mr Yoon’s indictment means his trial is likely to begin soon. It follows the indictment of a former defense secretary and several military generals and police chiefs.
He is the first president in South Korean history to face criminal charges while still in office.
His downfall came when the opposition-controlled National Assembly unexpectedly declared martial law on December 3, blaming the government for “paralysis.” The General Assembly voted on the measure to rescind the order about six hours later. But it triggered South Korea’s worst political crisis in decades.
With people demanding Yoon’s ouster, the General Assembly impeached him on December 14, suspending him from office. The country’s constitutional court is considering whether Congress’s impeachment was legal and whether he should be formally removed from office. Separately, criminal investigators detained Prime Minister Yoon on January 15 on charges of mutiny.
Mr. Yoon vowed to fight to get his office back from prison.
Opinion polls showed that a majority of South Koreans approved of his impeachment and considered him guilty of insurrection. But Mr. Yoon’s die-hard supporters called his impeachment a “fraud.” Some of them shocked the country on January 19, when he destroyed a courthouse in Seoul after one of the judges approved a warrant for his arrest. Nearly 60 people were arrested in connection with the unrest.
Prosecutors allege that Prime Minister Yoon banned all political activity during the short-lived imposition of the marriage law, and that military commanders closed the doors to the assembly “axe” or “if necessary, if necessary,” and “if necessary,” and “if necessary.” “If necessary,” and “if necessary,” and “with an ax,” and “ordered to bring down the military commanders.” “Drag out” congressman. They said Mr. Yoon sent the military to take over the rally and detain political leaders.
As lawmakers met there to vote against martial law, they saw scenes of live action by special forces armed with assault rifles. However, Prime Minister Yoon rejected the charges of mutiny, saying there was no intention to neutralize parliament or arrest political leaders. He said the military “was there to keep order.”
Mr. Yoon’s indictment, while not surprising, came sooner than expected.
State prosecutors are investigating the former defense secretary and general. The country’s corruption investigation bureau for high-ranking officials has filed a case of mutiny against Mr Yun, but under the law only prosecutors can charge him.
Prime Minister Yoon refused to cooperate with this question. He and his lawyers argued that the 4-year-old’s office had no right to investigate him.
On Thursday, the Corruption Investigation Office handed over his case to prosecutors. The two previously agreed that prosecutors would indict Yoon by early February, with prosecutors planning to further investigate Yoon’s actions.
But on Friday, a judge at a Seoul court ruled that Yoon should be indicted or released sooner because the Corruption Investigation Office had already conducted an investigation.
