South Korea special prosecutor indicts ex-President Yoon on more charges
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to provoke military conflict between South and North Korea, a prosecutor’s spokesperson said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
SEOUL – South Korea’s special prosecutor on Nov 10 indicted former president Yoon Suk Yeol on additional charges of abusing power and aiding an enemy state related to his short-lived imposition of martial law
Yoon attempted to provoke military conflict between the two Koreas in order to declare martial law, a prosecutor’s spokeswoman told a briefing, citing evidence found on a military official’s mobile phone that included some words suggesting potential provocations against North Korea, such as “drones” and “surgical strike”.
Yoon was removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April and is on trial for insurrection stemming from his failed martial law declaration.
If found guilty, he could be sentenced to death.
Yoon has consistently said he never intended to impose military rule but declared martial law to sound the alarm on wrongdoings by opposition parties and to protect democracy from “anti-state” elements.
According to the memo, Yoon, former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun and former military intelligence chief Yeo In-hyung planned to induce a North Korean attack against the South, the prosecutor’s spokeswoman, Ms Park Ji-young, said.
The trio wanted to create tensions in the country as a condition for Yoon to declare martial law, Ms Park said.
Kim and Yeo were also indicted on the same additional charges, the prosecutor said.
The special prosecutor’s team has accused Yoon and his military commanders of ordering a covert drone operation into the North to inflame tensions between the neighbours and justify his martial law decree.
In October 2024, North Korea said the South had sent drones to scatter anti-North Korea leaflets
South Korea had at the time declined to disclose whether it had sent the drones.
A Defence Ministry official on Nov 10 said it had no comment on the matter.
Former defence minister Kim is also on trial on charges related to the martial law declaration.
Yeo has said he deeply regretted not challenging the order from Yoon, according to media reports.
Ms Park said Yeo was making excuses that did not make sense about the notes discovered on his mobile phone. REUTERS
