South Korea's ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted Saturday on new criminal charges tied to his controversial declaration of martial law, further intensifying the legal challenges facing the conservative former leader three months after his removal from office. The Seoul Central District Court confirmed that Yoon will remain in detention for up to six months as he awaits trial for his December 3 martial law order, which triggered mass protests and political upheaval across the country. The indictment follows the court's recent approval of an arrest warrant requested by independent counsel Cho Eun-suk, who is leading the probe into Yoon's presidency. According to senior investigator Park Ji-young, Yoon is now charged with abuse of power for deliberately bypassing several Cabinet members in order to secure approval for the martial law decree — a direct violation of South Korean law, which mandates full Cabinet consent for such actions. Investigators also accused Yoon of fabricating an official document to falsely meet the legal conditions required for declaring martial law. That document, they say, was later destroyed in an attempt to erase evidence of misconduct. These charges are in addition to previous indictments against Yoon, which include orchestrating a rebellion — a severe crime under South Korean law that carries a sentence of either life imprisonment or capital punishment. Yoon's martial law decree in December 2024, framed by him as a desperate attempt to overcome legislative gridlock, backfired after lawmakers — including dissenters from his own party — convened in defiance and formally rejected the decree. His government was forced to lift martial law within days, and the National Assembly swiftly moved to impeach him. Describing the National Assembly as "a den of criminals" and accusing the opposition Democratic Party of sabotaging his policies, Yoon had previously defended the decree as a necessary step to save the nation from "anti-state forces." However, critics and legal experts have condemned it as an unconstitutional power grab. After initially being detained in January, Yoon was briefly released in March but returned to custody last week following the new arrest warrant. In April, the Constitutional Court formally dismissed him from the presidency, prompting a snap election that brought former opposition leader Lee Jae Myung to power. President Lee has since endorsed legislation to uncover the full scope of Yoon's martial law actions and appointed Cho Eun-suk as independent counsel to lead the probe. Investigators are also reportedly looking into separate allegations involving Yoon's wife and former officials from his administration. In May, prosecutors charged Yoon with ordering security forces to block access to government buildings, including the National Assembly and election commission offices — actions deemed outside the lawful scope of military and police responsibilities. The unfolding legal case against Yoon marks one of the most serious constitutional crises in South Korea's modern political history and could result in life imprisonment. — Agencies
