South Korean prosecutors on Sunday indicted President Yoon Suk-yeol on charges of leading a rebellion by briefly declaring a state of emergency on December 3, the main opposition party said.
“The prosecution has decided to indict Yoon Suk-yeol, who faces charges of being a ringleader of the rebellion,” Democratic Party spokesman Han Min-soo told a news conference. “Now the punishment of the leader of the uprising finally begins.”
The indictment was also reported by South Korean media, according to Reuters.
Anti-corruption investigators last week recommended indicting the jailed Yoon, who was impeached and suspended by parliament over the incident.
Yoon’s lawyers have urged prosecutors to immediately release him from what they call illegal detention. He has been in custody under criminal investigation since becoming the first sitting president to be arrested on January 15.
The rebellion is one of the few criminal charges from which a South Korean president does not have immunity. It is punishable by life imprisonment or death, although South Korea has not executed anyone in decades.
Yoon and his lawyers argued at a Constitutional Court hearing last week that he never intended to fully impose martial law, but only intended the measures as a warning to break the political deadlock.
In parallel with his criminal proceedings, the Supreme Court will decide whether to remove Yoon from office or restore him to presidential powers, with a 180-day decision to be made.
South Korea’s opposition-led parliament impeached Yoon on December 14, making him the second conservative president to be impeached in the country.
Yoon lifted martial law about six hours after lawmakers from the main opposition party, clashing with soldiers in parliament, voted to impose the decree.
Soldiers equipped with rifles, body armor and night vision equipment were seen entering the parliament building through broken windows during the dramatic clash.
