President Yoon Suk Yeol indicted just before his detention ends

Yonhap news agency reported on January 26 that prosecutors in South Korea have indicted impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of leading a rebellion when he briefly imposed martial law last month.

With this indictment, Mr. Yoon has become the first sitting president in South Korean history to be prosecuted while in detention.

The move comes just a day before Yoon’s detention ends, after he was detained by the Corruption Investigation Office of Senior Officials (CIO) on January 15 for declaring martial law on December 3, 2023. He was formally detained on January 19.

The CIO - the unit leading the investigation into Mr Yoon - referred the case to the prosecutor last week because it does not have the legal authority to prosecute a president.

On the morning of January 26, senior prosecutors from across the country gathered to discuss the next steps in Mr. Yoon’s case, although they have not yet had a chance to question him directly.

The prosecution team investigating the case said that after reviewing the evidence and based on a comprehensive assessment, they determined that it was appropriate to prosecute the defendant.

Mr Yoon faces charges of colluding with former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun and others to incite rebellion by issuing a decree declaring martial law. He is also accused of deploying troops to parliament to prevent lawmakers from voting to reject the decree.

Prosecutors had sought to question Mr. Yoon to decide whether to extend his detention, but a Seoul court rejected the prosecution’s request to extend his detention. By law, suspects must be released if they are not charged during their detention.