South Korea’s special prosecutor announced on Monday that former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been indicted on new charges of abusing power and aiding an enemy state. These allegations stem from Yoon’s brief declaration of martial law last year. Prosecutors revealed that Yoon allegedly attempted to incite military conflict between South and North Korea to justify his martial law decree. Evidence found on a military official’s cellphone included terms like “drones” and “surgical strike,” suggesting plans for provocative actions against the North.
Yoon was ousted from office by the Constitutional Court in April and is currently facing insurrection charges related to his failed martial law declaration. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Throughout the proceedings, Yoon has maintained that he never intended to enforce military rule; rather, he claims his actions were meant to alert the public to alleged misconduct by opposition parties and defend democracy against “anti-state” threats.
According to prosecutor Park Ji-young, Yoon, along with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former military intelligence chief Yeo In-hyung, conspired to provoke an attack from North Korea as a pretext for declaring martial law. Both Kim and Yeo have also been indicted on the same charges. The special prosecutor’s team accused the trio of planning a covert drone operation to escalate tensions with North Korea, thus justifying Yoon’s martial law declaration.
In October of the previous year, North Korea alleged that South Korea dispatched drones to drop anti-North Korean leaflets over Pyongyang, publicly displaying images of a crashed South Korean military drone. At that time, South Korea’s military refrained from commenting on these accusations. A defense ministry official reiterated on Monday that there would be no statements regarding the drone operation.
Former Defense Minister Kim is currently undergoing trial related to the martial law in question. Media reports indicated that Yeo has expressed regret for not opposing Yoon’s orders, but prosecutors contend that his explanations for incriminating notes found on his phone are unconvincing.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/world/south-korea-special-prosecutor-indicts-ex-president-yoon-more-charges-10356333/
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Publish Date: 2025-11-10 10:12:00
