Prosecution convenes meeting to decide whether to indict South Korea's President Yoon


Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. - Photo: Yonhap file

SEOUL: South Korean Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung on Sunday (Jan 26) convened a meeting with chief and deputy chief prosecutors from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and district prosecutors' office to decide how further to proceed with President Yoon Suk Yeol's case.

The prosecution was seen considering an indictment on charges of leading an insurrection and committing abuse of power, accompanied by an arrest, which they could hold him for up to six months, upon the court's approval.

The prosecution found themselves at a crossroads on Sunday only three days after the law enforcement agency received the case from Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.

Although he was arrested, Yoon refused to appear for questioning six times, except for the interrogation on the first day of his arrest, during which he remained silent.

Yoon has remained silent and refused to comply with the CIO's closed-door interrogation while attending the Constitutional Court's hearing televised nationwide.

The prosecution is likely to indict him without additional investigation as their second attempt to extend Yoon’s detention has been rejected again by the court.

The court’s consecutive rejections on Friday and Saturday left the prosecution with little choice but to indict him sooner than expected, as the arrest warrant is set to expire at midnight on Monday.

If not indicting him, the prosecution is supposed to release Yoon within 48 hours, according to the Criminal Act.

On Saturday night, the Seoul Central District Court rejected the prosecutor’s request to extend the detention period by Feb 6, saying that the extension was neither necessary nor justifiable.

This not only complicates the prosecution's plan to conduct a face-to-face interrogation with Yoon by visiting the Seoul Detention Center during the Lunar New Year holiday, but also puts pressure on them to proceed with the trial based on the evidence gathered so far, with no possibility of further physical investigation.

If the prosecution indicts Yoon, the investigation into the Dec. 3 martial law declaration comes to a close, as other key military commanders involved in the case have already been indicted.

Given the indictment of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, a key figure who is believed to have colluded with Yoon in the Dec 3 incident, the same charges and evidence will apply to Yoon for his indictment.

CIO, who initially handled Yoon’s investigation, handed over the some 30,000 page-long investigation records as well as testimonies of some 10 high-level military and police officials related to the Dec 3 incident.

Constitutional Court, meanwhile, has conducted the fourth of eight hearings so far, will either uphold or overturn Yoon’s trial before June 11.

Meanwhile, political parties remained deeply divided.

The PPP spokesperson Shin Dong-wook criticized the prosecution’s second attempt to extend Yoon’s detention, saying “the resulting backlash will fall directly on the prosecution,” demanding that any further investigation be conducted “under due process without detention.”

Shin also urged that the CIO must be dismantled, citing illegal investigations and alleged procedural violations during Yoon’s arrest and detention.

He warned that CIO officials, including its chief prosecutor Oh Dong-woon, should face “severe criminal responsibility.”

The opposition Democratic Party highlighted the need to indict Yoon.

The party’s spokesperson Jo Seoung-lae said in a statement that the court had already limited the prosecution’s authority to decide on an indictment, making the reapplication “inappropriate.”

“Despite Yoon’s refusal to cooperate, there is abundant evidence proving his guilt. The prosecution, CIO, and police have gathered substantial evidence while investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in the insurrection. Indicting the leader of rebellion aligns with the public’s sense of justice and the need to end the ongoing turmoil.” - The Korea Herald/ANN

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