South Korea’s Ousted President Yoon Indicted Again Over Martial Law Attempt
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been formally indicted for abuse of power in connection with his failed attempt to impose martial law, deepening his legal troubles months after being impeached and removed from office.
Prosecutors announced Thursday that the latest charge stems from Yoon’s December 3 declaration of martial law, which briefly suspended democratic rule and saw armed troops deployed to the National Assembly.
The dramatic move was overturned just six hours later when opposition lawmakers forced their way into parliament and swiftly nullified the decree.
The 64-year-old former leader, already on trial for allegedly orchestrating an insurrection, now faces a second indictment over abuse of authority. Yoon was initially charged in January—while still in office—as the alleged ringleader of an insurrection, a rare crime that isn’t shielded by presidential immunity.
“This new indictment follows additional investigations into Yoon’s abuse of power during the martial law declaration,” prosecutors said in a statement.
The deepening scandal has engulfed Yoon’s inner circle. Just a day before the new charge, investigators raided his private residence in Seoul amid a separate corruption probe involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee, and a shaman allegedly gifted luxury items on her behalf.
Yoon, who has denied all charges, also faces allegations of interfering in his party’s 2022 candidate nominations while serving as president-elect.
The former president was impeached in December and officially stripped of office by the Constitutional Court in April.
He was arrested in January but later released on procedural grounds. If convicted of insurrection, Yoon could face life imprisonment or even the death penalty, though South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997.
Yoon is now the second South Korean president ever removed from office and the third to be impeached. A snap presidential election has been scheduled for June 3.
