Official ruling from the Constitutional Court of South Korea

South Korea's Anti-Corruption Agency Urges Prosecutors to Charge Impeached President Yoon with Insurrection and Abuse of Power Over Martial Law Declaration

Jan 23, 2025, 05:04 AM

South Korea's anti-corruption agency has recommended that impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol be charged with insurrection and abuse of power following an investigation into his short-lived declaration of martial law on December 3, which lasted only six hours before being overturned by parliament. The agency, which lacks the authority to prosecute the president, has transferred the case to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, urging them to indict Yoon within 11 days. Yoon, impeached on December 14 and the first sitting president to be arrested in South Korea, has been detained since last week and refused to cooperate with the investigation. His security detail also obstructed the investigation. Yoon's legal team has criticized the investigation as illegal and urged prosecutors to conduct a legally legitimate probe. The crime of insurrection is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty, though Yoon denies ordering troops to forcibly remove lawmakers from the National Assembly. Yoon's impeachment is also under review by the Constitutional Court, which will decide whether to uphold his removal from office.