The indictment against ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for abuse of power and declaring a state of emergency was expanded today, about three months after he was formally removed from office.
The additional charges mean Yoon will remain in custody as he faces trial for imposing a state of emergency in December that plunged South Korea into a serious political crisis. Yoon was returned to prison last week after a Seoul court granted an arrest warrant for him, requested by a team of investigators.
Yoon is accused of abuse of power because, according to prosecutors, he called on only select cabinet members to approve the declaration of a state of emergency, even though South Korean law requires the consent of all cabinet members for such a measure.
Investigators also said Yoon is accused of forging an official document in an attempt to fulfill the formal requirement for declaring a state of emergency – before destroying the document.
After declaring a state of emergency, Yoon sent the military and police into the opposition-controlled National Assembly, but enough lawmakers managed to enter the chamber and overturn his decree, forcing his cabinet to impeach him.
Yoon said his goal was to mobilize public support in a political fight against the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which he said was blocking his reform agenda, dismissing senior officials, and cutting the government’s budget. He described the National Assembly as a “nest of criminals” and an “anti-state force.”
In January, prosecutors arrested him and charged him with sedition, a crime that carries the death penalty or life in prison if convicted. He was released from custody in March after a Seoul District Court judge overturned his arrest warrant.
In April, the Constitutional Court formally removed Yoon from office, calling for a snap election to replace him.
After winning the election, new President Lee Jae-myung, a former leader of the Democratic Party, approved a law to launch an independent investigation to clarify the details of the declaration of a state of emergency and to investigate other criminal charges involving his wife and the former administration.
