South Korean prosecutors on Sunday charged ousted President Yoon Seok-yul with treason over his short-lived imposition of martial law, a criminal charge punishable by death or life in prison upon conviction. can be
It is the latest setback for Yun, who was arrested and detained on Dec. 3 under a martial law decree that has plunged the country into political turmoil, roiled its financial markets and damaged the international image of Separate from the criminal court proceedings, the Constitutional Court is now considering whether to formally remove or reinstate Yun as president.
Yoon has become the first South Korean president to be indicted while in office. He will remain in jail and will be transported from a detention facility to a Seoul court for hearings in the trial, which is expected to last about six months.
Yoon's defense team confirmed his indictment on treason charges, calling it the “worst decision” by prosecutors who are trying to curry favor with secret political forces who want Yoon out. are
“Today's indictment against the president will remain an embarrassment in the history of South Korean prosecutors that they cannot erase,” Yoon's defense team said in a statement. “We reiterate that the president's declaration of martial law can never amount to a coup.”
According to local media, prosecutors indicted Yoon on charges that he directed the rebellion when he imposed martial law. Repeated calls to prosecutors' offices in Seoul were not returned. Investigating authorities have alleged that Yun's implementation of martial law has been counterproductive, as he started riots aimed at undermining the constitution.
Yun enjoys presidential immunity from most criminal prosecutions, but this privilege does not extend to charges of rebellion or treason. Under the law in South Korea, the leader of the coup could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Yoon, a conservative, has denied any wrongdoing, and has described the declaration of martial law as a legitimate act aimed at raising public awareness of the threat of a liberal-run National Assembly. Which hampered his agenda and influenced the top officials. During his declaration of martial law, Yoon called the assembly “a den of criminals” and vowed to “exterminate North Korea's shameless followers and anti-state forces.”
After declaring martial law on December 3, Yun sent soldiers and police officers into the assembly, but enough lawmakers still managed to enter an assembly chamber to vote unanimously on Yun's decree. , and forced his cabinet to take it up.
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The imposition of martial law, the first of its kind in South Korea in more than four decades, lasted just six hours. However, it evoked painful memories of past authoritarian rule in South Korea in the 1960s when military-backed rulers used martial law and emergency decrees to suppress dissent.
South Korea's constitution gives the president the power to declare martial law to maintain order in times of war and other comparable states of emergency, but many experts say that when Yoon declared martial law So the country was not in such a situation.
Yoon insists that he had no intention of disrupting the assembly's work, including its floor vote on the decree, and that the deployment of soldiers and police forces was intended to maintain order. But commanders of military units sent to the assembly have told assembly hearings or investigators that Yun ordered them to drag lawmakers to prevent them from repealing his decree.
The investigation into Yun has exacerbated the country's already serious internal divisions, with rival protesters staging regular 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. They also attacked police officers with bricks, steel pipes and other objects. 17 police officers were injured in the violence, and police said they detained 46 protesters.
Yoon had previously resisted attempts by investigating authorities to question or detain him. He was then arrested in a major law enforcement operation at his presidential compound on January 15.
Yun's investigation was led by the Office of Corruption Investigations for High-ranking Officials, but Yun has refused to attend the CIO's interrogation sessions since his detention, saying the probe into the coup allegations has no legal authority. The CIO has said he may investigate Yoon's treason charge as it relates to abuse of power and other allegations.
The CIO on Friday referred Yoon's case to the Seoul Prosecutors' Office and asked it to indict him on charges of sedition, abuse of power and obstruction of the National Assembly. Prosecutors reportedly charged Yun only with sedition, considering that Yun enjoys presidential immunity from other charges.
Yun's defense minister, police chief and several other military commanders have already been arrested on charges of alleged rebellion, abuse of power and other charges related to the martial law decree.
If the Constitutional Court rules to remove Yun from office, national elections to choose his successor must be held within two months. Recent public opinion polls show that the ruling and opposition party candidates are neck and neck in a possible presidential by-election.
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