Seoul (TDI): Former South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted on Sunday on charges of causing an insurrection with his martial law decree on December 3, Yoon’s lawyers and the main opposition party said.
Yoon’s lawyers denounced the indictment as the ‘worst choice’ made by the country’s prosecution service, while the opposition welcomed the decision.
Read More: South Korean Impeached President Yoon Arrested
Yoon is the first Korean president to have been indicted in the country’s history. The charges of banning political and parliamentary activity and controlling the media, against Yoon, could potentially land him in prison for several years.
The development comes days after Yoon was arrested over insurrection allegations, with the embattled leader saying he agreed to comply with what he called an illegal investigation to avoid “bloodshed”.
Read More: South Korean Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Yoon
His arrest, the first ever for an incumbent South Korean president, marks a dramatic turn for one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies, despite the country’s history of prosecuting and imprisoning former leaders.
Since legislators voted to stand him down after his short-lived declaration of martial law on December 3, Yoon has been holed up at his hillside residence, guarded by a small army of personal security that thwarted a previous arrest attempt.
A defiant Yoon said he submitted himself for probe to avoid any violence after more than three thousand police officers marched on his residence to arrest him from the early hours of Wednesday, Reuters reported.
“I chose to respond to the CIO’s probe — despite its illegality — to avoid unnecessary bloodshed,” Yoon said in a statement, referring to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) that is heading the criminal investigation.
Read More: South Korea Court Begins Yoon Impeachment Review
Yoon’s motorcade was later seen leaving his residence in an upscale area known as Seoul’s Beverly Hills.
It arrived at the investigators’ office but was immediately surrounded by security and moved to the back of the building, where Yoon slipped in, evading the waiting media.
Authorities now have 48 hours to question Yoon after which they must seek a warrant to detain him for up to twenty days or release him.
