South Korea’s special prosecutor on Monday indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol on additional charges of abuse of power and aiding an enemy state, deepening his legal troubles stemming from his controversial attempt to impose martial law last year.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Yoon, along with former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former military intelligence chief Yeo In-hyung, allegedly conspired to provoke a military confrontation with North Korea as a pretext to justify declaring martial law.
Evidence recovered from a senior military official’s mobile phone contained messages referencing “drones” and “surgical strikes,” which investigators believe were part of plans to induce a North Korean response.
Prosecutor spokesperson Park Ji-young told reporters that the trio intended to “create tensions between the two Koreas” to pave the way for Yoon’s imposition of military rule. Both Kim and Yeo were indicted on the same additional charges.
Yoon, who was ousted by the Constitutional Court in April and is already on trial for insurrection related to the failed martial law declaration, could face the death penalty if convicted.
He has denied all wrongdoing, insisting that his actions were meant to “protect democracy from anti-state elements” and expose alleged corruption within opposition parties.
The investigation also links Yoon’s administration to a covert drone operation purportedly conducted over North Korean territory to inflame tensions.
In October last year, Pyongyang accused Seoul of sending drones to scatter anti-North Korean leaflets and released photos of wreckage allegedly belonging to a South Korean military drone.
At the time, South Korea’s military declined to comment on the claims, a stance it reiterated on Monday.
Former defence minister Kim is also standing trial for his role in the martial law plot, while Yeo reportedly expressed “deep regret” for not opposing Yoon’s orders.
Prosecutors dismissed Yeo’s explanations as “inconsistent and unconvincing,” citing detailed notes recovered from his phone.
The new indictment marks a major escalation in one of South Korea’s most dramatic political scandals in years, underscoring deep divisions within the country’s military and political establishment over Yoon’s tumultuous presidency and its aftermath.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
