South Korean investigators recommended on Thursday that impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol be charged with rebellion and abuse of power, as they handed over the results of their investigation into his ill-fated declaration of martial law to prosecutors.
The Corruption Investigation Office said in December after a 51-day investigation that the official charges against Yoon were “leading a rebellion and abuse of power”. 3 Attempt to suspend civil rule.
The CIO said it “has decided to request the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to file charges against current President Yoon Suk Yeol regarding charges including leading the rebellion.”
Yun “conspired with the former Minister of National Defense and military commanders on December 3, 2024.”
The leader, who is currently suspended from duties, declared martial law “with the intention of ousting state authority or disrupting constitutional order, thereby inciting riots.”
Under the South Korean legal system, the case file of the suspect – identified as “Yoon Suk Yeol: President” – will now be handed over to prosecutors, who have 11 days to decide whether to charge him or No, so that he can be made a criminal. tests.
The prosecutors’ office “has complied with the CIO’s request for transfer of the case,” investigators said.
Yun was arrested in a raid last week on rebellion charges, becoming the first South Korean head of state to be detained in a criminal investigation.
South Korea was plunged into political chaos by Yun’s failed martial law declaration, which lasted only six hours before lawmakers rejected it. He later impeached him and relieved him of his duties.
Since his arrest, Yoon has refused to be questioned by the CIO, who is in charge of criminal investigations.
They have refused to cooperate with the investigation and have “continued to maintain a non-cooperative stance,” deputy CIO chief Lee Jae-seung told reporters at a briefing.
Yoon’s security detail includes “obstructed searches and seizures, including access to secure communications devices such as classified phones,” Lee said.
The CIO said it had decided, given Yoon’s efforts to block its investigation, that it would be “more efficient” for prosecutors to handle the case, since they have the authority to convict suspects.
His lawyers have repeatedly said the CIO has no authority to investigate the rebellion.
Yoon’s legal team said Thursday that they urged prosecutors to “conduct an investigation that adheres to legal validity and due process.”
‘Abuse of authority’
During the night of December 3, Yun reportedly ordered troops to storm the National Assembly and prevent lawmakers from rejecting the declaration of martial law.
The CIO said its investigation found that Yun “abused his authority by forcing police officers of the National Assembly Guard Unit and martial law forces to perform duties beyond their obligations.”
“They also obstructed the exercise of legislatures’ powers to demand the lifting of martial law,” it said.
Yun has denied instructing top military commanders to “pull” lawmakers from parliament to prevent them from voting against his decisions.
Yun, who remains head of state, is being held in a detention center.
In addition to the criminal investigation, he is also facing a Constitutional Court case, where judges will decide whether to uphold his impeachment, which would officially remove him from office.
If the court rules against Yoon, he will lose the presidency and elections will be called within 60 days.
Yun, who attended a court hearing this week, will appear again on Thursday when the judge will call witnesses to hear details of how martial law unfolded.
