South Korean prosecutors on Sunday indicted the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection to his controversial and short-lived imposition of martial law last month, Yonhap news agency reported. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted Yoon over an alleged rebellion linked with his December 3 decree that triggered a massive political turmoil in the country.
However, the prosecutors’ office did not yet issue an official comment on the indictment. Yoon was earlier impeached and arrested over the martial law decree.
The Constitutional Court is separately deliberating whether to formally dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him.
Yoon has denied any wrongdoing
Yoon, a conservative, has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, calling his martial law a legitimate act of governance meant to raise public awareness of the danger of the liberal-controlled National Assembly which obstructed his agenda and impeached top officials.
During his announcement of martial law, Yoon called the assembly “a den of criminals” and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces”.
“The reason for the declaration of martial law wasn't about a warning to the opposition. I was trying to appeal to the people to draw their strict supervision and criticism of the opposition,” Yoon told a hearing at the Constitutional Court.
“No matter how many warnings I would issue to the opposition, they would have been useless,” he said. The South Korean President was suspended by the assembly on December 14.
Yoon’s martial law was the first of its kind in South Korea for more than 40 years
Lasting for six hours, Yoon's martial law, the first of its kind in South Korea for more than 40 years. Yoon sent troops and police officers to the National Assembly, but enough lawmakers managed to enter the assembly chamber and called for an end to the emergency decree in a unanimous vote.
Yoon's martial law decree has shaken South Korean politics and financial markets and hurt its international image. Yoon's subsequent defiance and the opposition's push to oust him have also intensified South Korea's already-serious internal divide.
(With PTI inputs)