South Korean Prosecutors to Decide on Indictment of President Yoon Suk Yeol as Detention Period Nears End in Martial Law Case

Jan 26, 2025, 02:00 AM

South Korean prosecutors are poised to make a decision on whether to indict President Yoon Suk Yeol, following the rejection of their second request to extend his detention. The Seoul Central District Court denied the extension on January 25, leaving prosecutors with the option to either indict Yoon or release him by January 27, the end of his initial detention period. Yoon was arrested on January 15 and formally detained on January 19 in connection with his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3. The case, which has sparked significant political tension, was transferred to the prosecution from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials last week. Amidst this, Yoon's legal team has demanded his immediate release, arguing that his detention period expired at midnight on January 25. The National Human Rights Commission has also criticized Yoon's continued detention as illegal, asserting that the detention period legally ended on January 25 at 10:32 AM. Senior prosecutors nationwide met to discuss the next steps in the case, while former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, implicated in the martial law declaration, has already been indicted. The Constitutional Court has held four hearings on Yoon's impeachment trial.