South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yol attends the fourth hearing of the impeachment trial for the short-lived imposition of martial law at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, January 23, 2025. EPA hide caption
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Jeon Heon-Kyun/AP/Pool EPA
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean prosecutors on Sunday indicted each of the rebels in connection with the short-lived imposition of martial law.
This is the latest blow to Yun, who was impeached and arrested under the Dec. 3 martial law order that plunged the country into political turmoil, rocked financial markets and tarnished its international image. Separate from the judicial case, the Constitutional Court is currently deliberating whether to formally remove Yun as president or reinstate him.
Yun became South Korea’s first president to be indicted while in office. He remains imprisoned and is escorted from the detention facility to the Seoul courthouse for a court hearing. This is expected to last for about 6 months.
Prosecutors said in a statement that they charged Yun with directing an insurrection when they imposed martial law. Investigators have previously argued that Yun’s imposition of martial law amounted to rebellion.
Yoon’s defense team has condemned the indictment, calling it “the worst decision” and saying it is an attempt to curry favor with political forces that want Yoon out.
“Today’s indictment of the president remains an indelible embarrassment in the history of Korean prosecutors,” Yoon’s defense team said in a statement. “We reiterate that the President’s declaration of martial law is in no way an act of defiance.”
Yun enjoys presidential immunity from most criminal prosecutions, but the privilege does not extend to allegations of sedition or treason. Under South Korean law, rebel leaders can face life in prison or the death penalty.
Yoon, a conservative, staunchly denies any wrongdoing and said his declaration of martial law was aimed at raising public awareness of the dangers of a liberal parliament that blocked his agenda and impeached top officials. This is explained as a legitimate act of governance. During the martial law announcement, Yun called Congress a “den of criminals” and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korean followers and anti-national forces.”
After declaring martial law on Dec. 3, Yun sent troops and police to Congress, but enough lawmakers still entered the assembly room to vote unanimously on Yun’s order and send it to the Cabinet. forced to lift.
The first imposition of martial law in South Korea in more than 40 years lasted just six hours. But it evokes painful memories of South Korea’s past dictatorial rule from the 1960s to the 1980s, when military-dominated rulers used infighting and emergency orders to suppress their enemies.
South Korea’s constitution gives the president the power to declare martial law to maintain order in the country during wartime and other comparable emergencies, but many experts believe that when Yun declared martial law, , says that this country was not under such conditions.
Yun insists he had no intention of disrupting parliament’s work, including the floor vote on his orders and the deployment of the military and police. But commanders of military units sent to Congress told Congressional hearings or investigators that Yun ordered them to drag the lawmakers out and prevent them from overturning his orders.
The investigation into Yun has intensified the country’s already deep internal divisions, with rival protesters regularly staging rallies in downtown Seoul.
After a local court approved a formal arrest warrant to extend Yun’s detention on January 19, dozens of his supporters stormed the court building, destroying windows, doors and other property. I did. They also attacked police officers with bricks, steel pipes and other objects. The violence left 17 police officers injured and police said they detained 46 protesters.
Yun has previously resisted efforts by investigating authorities to question or detain him. He was then arrested on January 15 in a major law enforcement operation at the presidential complex.
Yoon’s primary probe was the Corruption Investigation Bureau for senior officials, but Yoon has refused to attend CIO questioning sessions since being detained, saying he had no legal authority to investigate the insurrection allegations. . The CIO says it can investigate Yoon’s allegations of rebellion. Because it relates to his abuse of power and other allegations.
The CIO handed Yoon’s case over to the Seoul prosecutor’s office on Friday, asking that he be indicted on charges of sedition, abuse of power, and obstruction of the National Assembly. Prosecutors said they charged Yun with insurrection only, given that Yun has presidential immunity from other charges.
Yoon’s defense minister, police chief, and several other military commanders have already been arrested on charges of sedition, abuse of power, and other charges related to martial law.
If the Constitutional Court rules to oust Yun from office, a national election to select a successor must be held within two months. Recent public surveys show that governing and opposition candidates are neck and neck in a possible presidential by-election.
