Disgraced former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted on Saturday for abuse of power stemming from his declaration of martial law last year. This development is part of a widening insurrection probe.
Yoon plunged South Korea into a political crisis on December 3 when he attempted to subvert civilian rule by deploying troops to parliament. His aim was to prevent lawmakers from voting down his martial law declaration.
He became the country’s first sitting president to be taken into custody when he was detained in January after weeks of resisting arrest, using his presidential security detail to thwart investigators.
He was released in March on procedural grounds, even as his trial on insurrection charges continued.
Last week, he was detained again after an arrest warrant was issued due to concerns he might destroy evidence in the case.
Prosecutor Park Ji-young informed reporters on Saturday that the prosecution “indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges including abuse of power and obstruction of special official duties.”
Park further stated that Yoon also failed to follow the required procedure for declaring martial law, which includes holding a meeting with all cabinet members of the government.
Yoon was additionally charged with “drafting and discarding a false document” that falsely claimed the prime minister and defense minister had endorsed martial law.
Yoon has refused to attend questioning since his detention, but he did appear in court on Friday at a hearing to argue for the cancellation of his arrest warrant.
The ex-president’s legal team informed reporters that Yoon defended himself for over 30 minutes, citing his “limited physical mobility and the challenges he was facing.”
The court denied the request.
Yoon is currently being held in solitary confinement in a cell equipped with a fan but no air-conditioning, as a heat wave continues to grip South Korea.
