Former South Korean president accused of abuse of power

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been charged with abuse of power over his failed attempt to impose martial law in the Asian country in December last year.

According to Agence France Presse, prosecutor Park Ji-young revealed today, in statements to the press in Seoul, that the Public Prosecutor's Office " accused former President Yoon Suk Yeol of abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of special official functions ."

The Public Prosecutor's Office considers that the former President failed to comply with the procedures necessary to declare martial law, namely organizing a formal meeting of the Council of Ministers.

The former ruler is also accused of having “written and discarded a false document indicating that the prime minister and the defense minister had approved martial law.”

In January, Yoon was accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office of masterminding an attempted rebellion, describing the power grab as an illegal attempt to seize the legislature and electoral offices and detain political opponents.

The charges are punishable by death or life imprisonment.

Yoon is also accused of imposing martial law without following the required legal procedures and of illegally mobilizing presidential security forces as a private army to block an initial attempt by law enforcement to arrest him at his residence in early January.

Liberal rival Lee Jae-myung, who won a snap election in June to replace him, last month passed a law that would launch special investigations into Yoon's failed martial law and other criminal allegations involving his wife and the administration.

Yoon Suk Yeol plunged South Korea into a political crisis when he attempted to overthrow the regime on December 3 last year, sending armed soldiers into parliament to prevent elected representatives from voting against his declaration of martial law.

The former president, who was deposed in April, had already spent time in detention between January and March, becoming the first sitting head of state to be arrested in South Korea's history. He was later released for procedural reasons.

On July 10, he was again placed in preventive detention by order of a judge, for fear that the former leader could destroy evidence.

Yoon appeared in court on Friday for a hearing to request that his sentence be overturned. The court rejected the request.