South Korean prosecutors on Sunday indicted impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on rebellion in connection with his short-lived imposition of martial law, a criminal charge that could incur the death penalty or life imprisonment if he's convicted. Yoon was impeached and arrested over his Dec. 3 martial law decree that plunged the country into political turmoil, shook its financial markets, and hurt its international image. Separate from criminal judicial proceedings, the Constitutional Court is now deliberating whether to formally dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him, the AP reports.
Yoon has become South Korea's first president who has been indicted while in office. He will remain jailed and be escorted from a detention facility to a Seoul court for hearings in the trial, which is expected to last about six months. Prosecutors said in a statement that they indicted Yoon on charges that he directed a rebellion when he imposed martial law. Investigative authorities earlier alleged that Yoon's imposition of martial law amounted to rebellion, because he staged riots with the purpose of undermining the constitution. Yoon's defense team lashed out at the indictment, calling it "the worst decision" by prosecutors they say are trying to curry favor with political forces who want Yoon out.
"Today's indictment of the president will remain as a shame in the history of South Korean prosecutors that they cannot erase," Yoon's defense team said in a statement. "We stress once again that a president's declaration of martial law can never be rebellion." Yoon has presidential immunity from most criminal prosecutions, but the privilege doesn't extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. By South Korea law, the leader of a rebellion can face a life sentence or capital punishment. If the Constitutional Court rules to drive Yoon out of office, an election to choose his successor must be held within two months. Recent surveys show that governing and opposition party candidates are running neck-and-neck in a theoretical presidential by-election race.
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