Yoon Indicted and Detained... Special Prosecutor: "Ordered False Martial Law Briefings and Deletion of Secure Phone Records"

Abuse of Power Applied...
"Treason Charges Still Under Investigation"

The special prosecutor team led by Cho Eunseok, which is investigating the '12·3 Emergency Martial Law' rebellion and treason case, indicted former President Yoon Sukyeol on July 19 on charges including abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

Former President Yoon Sukyeol is entering the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 9th to undergo a detention hearing (pre-arrest warrant review). The hearing is presided over by Nam Sejin, the chief judge in charge of warrants and a graduate of the 33rd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

This marks the third time that former President Yoon has been brought to trial: first in January, when the Special Investigation Headquarters for Martial Law indicted him as the ringleader of the rebellion, and again in May, after his removal from office, when he was charged with abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

The special prosecutor's team charged former President Yoon with the following: infringement of the deliberative rights of Cabinet members; post-facto drafting of the martial law proclamation; dissemination of false information related to martial law; ordering the deletion of records from secure phones; and obstructing the execution of arrest warrants.

However, the treason charges, which are still under investigation, were not included in the current indictment.

The special prosecutor attempted to forcibly bring in former President Yoon for a face-to-face interrogation after his arrest on July 10, but this effort was unsuccessful. Considering that Yoon filed a habeas corpus petition, thereby expressing his objection to the detention itself, the special prosecutor determined that further attempts at direct interrogation would be meaningless. As a result, they decided to proceed with an early indictment rather than seek an extension of the detention period.

Meanwhile, the special prosecutor is continuing its investigation into the treason charges.