According to the Yonhap news agency, South Korea’s prosecutors have indicted impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of leading an insurrection due to his shortlived imposition of martial law on December 3.
In a statement, prosecutors announced that they have “indicted Yoon Suk Yeol and ordered his detention today on charges of being the ringleader of an insurrection.”
This decision was made after anti-corruption investigators recommended last week that Yoon should be formally charged.
Unlike most criminal charges, insurrection is one for which a South Korean president does not have immunity. The punishment can range from life imprisonment to death, although South Korea has not carried out any executions in years.
Yoon, who has been suspended from his duties since the December 14 impeachment vote by the National Assembly, was eventually arrested at his residence in Seoul after repeatedly ignoring summons to appear for questioning.
His arrest represents the first instance in South Korean history of a sitting president being taken into custody.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court is currently deliberating whether to formally remove Yoon as president or reinstate him.
More updates to follow…
