South Korea's impeached and arrested president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was formally indicted on charges of leading an insurrection after briefly imposing martial law last month, according to prosecutors.
This indictment indicates that his trial is likely to commence soon, following similar indictments against a former defense minister and several military generals and police chiefs, all of whom are accused of assisting Mr. Yoon in the alleged insurrection.
Mr. Yoon is the first sitting president in South Korea to face criminal charges. His political troubles began when he unexpectedly declared martial law on December 3, citing the opposition-controlled National Assembly for "paralyzing" his government. The Assembly subsequently voted down the martial law measure, prompting Mr. Yoon to rescind the order after approximately six hours, which ignited South Korea's most severe political crisis in decades.
Following public outcry for his removal, the National Assembly impeached Mr. Yoon on December 14, suspending him from office. The Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the legitimacy of the impeachment. Separately, criminal investigators detained Mr. Yoon on insurrection charges on January 15.
While imprisoned, Mr. Yoon has vowed to fight to reclaim his position. Public opinion polls indicate that a majority of South Koreans support his impeachment and consider him guilty of insurrection. Conversely, his staunch supporters have labeled the impeachment as "fraud," with some engaging in vandalism at a Seoul courthouse following a judge's approval of an arrest warrant on January 19, resulting in nearly 60 arrests.
Prosecutors allege that Mr. Yoon committed insurrection during the brief martial law, claiming he prohibited all political activities and instructed military commanders to forcibly enter the Assembly, threatening violence if necessary. They assert that he dispatched troops to seize the Assembly and detain political leaders.
During the incident, live-streamed footage showed special forces troops armed with assault rifles storming the Assembly as lawmakers gathered to vote against martial law. Mr. Yoon has denied the insurrection charges, stating that he did not intend to neutralize Parliament or arrest political leaders, claiming that the troops were present to "keep order."
Although Mr. Yoon's indictment was not unexpected, it occurred sooner than anticipated. State prosecutors had been investigating the involvement of the former defense minister and generals. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials initially handled Mr. Yoon's insurrection case, but only prosecutors have the authority to indict him by law.
Mr. Yoon has refused to participate in the inquiry, with him and his legal team asserting that the four-year-old office lacks the jurisdiction to investigate him. On Thursday, the Corruption Investigation Office transferred his case to prosecutors, who were initially given until early February to indict him. A court ruling on Friday mandated that Mr. Yoon must either be indicted sooner or released, as the Corruption Investigation Office had already completed its investigation.