South Korean prosecutors indict impeached President: Reports

Yonhap news agency said that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted Yoon over rebellion in connection with his December 3 decree that plunged the country into massive political turmoil.

Seoul: South Korean prosecutors have indicted the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his imposition of martial law, Yonhap news agency said on Sunday, January 26.

The agency reported that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Yoon over rebellion in connection with his December 3 decree that plunged the country into massive political turmoil.

Other South Korean media outlets have carried similar reports.

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Yoon was earlier impeached and arrested over the martial law decree.

There was no immediate comment from the prosecutor’s office.

Earlier on January 18, the South Korean Court hearing on whether to extend detention and issue an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law, went on for five hours of proceedings.

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The hearing at the Seoul Western District Court ran from 2 p.m. until 6:50 p.m., with Yoon in attendance. He then returned to the detention centre where he has been held since Wednesday to await the court’s decision.

“The president faithfully explained and responded regarding the facts, evidence and legal issues,” his lawyer, Yun Gap-geun, told reporters outside the court. “We will wait quietly until the court’s decision comes out.”

The court is expected to issue or reject the warrant for his formal arrest late Saturday or early Sunday.

Earlier, Seok Dong-hyeon, one of Yoon’s lawyers, said prosecutors from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) presented their case for his arrest and the lawyers followed with PowerPoint presentations on their counterarguments.

Yoon, dressed in a suit, also spoke for 40 minutes. In his final statement, he spoke for another 5 minutes before the hearing ended.

The impeached president has been in custody since his arrest Wednesday at his residence on charges of masterminding an insurrection and abuse of power, making him the first sitting South Korean president to be apprehended.

(With agency inputs)

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