SEOUL, Jan 27 — South Korea's prosecutors indicted impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol yesterday on charges of leading an insurrection with his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3, Yoon's lawyers and the main opposition party said.
Yoon's lawyers criticised the indictment as the "worst choice" made by the prosecution service, while the main opposition party welcomed the decision.
The charges are unprecedented for a South Korean president, and if convicted, Yoon could face years in prison for his shock martial law decree, which sought to ban political and parliamentary activity and control the media.
His move set off a wave of political upheaval in Asia's fourth-largest economy and a top US ally, with the prime minister also impeached and suspended from power and a number of top military officials indicted for their roles in the alleged insurrection.
"(The) President's declaration of emergency martial law was a desperate plea to the public over a national crisis caused by the opposition getting out of control," Yoon's lawyers said in a statement.
The prosecutors' office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The indictment was also reported by South Korean media.
Anti-corruption investigators last week recommended charging the jailed Yoon, who was impeached by parliament and suspended from his duties on December 14.
A former top prosecutor himself, Yoon has been in solitary confinement since becoming the first sitting president to be arrested on January 15 after days of defiant, armed standoff between his security detail and arresting officials.
If Yoon is removed from office, a presidential election will be held within 60 days.
— Reuters
