The special prosecution for insurrection has added charges against former President Yoon Suk-yeol for obstructing the performance of specific public duties and interfering with the exercise of authority. The case has been assigned to the 35th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court.
On the 21st, the Seoul Central District Court assigned the additional indictment case of former President Yoon to the 35th Criminal Division (Chief Judge Baek Dae-hyun).
Previously, the trial concerning charges against former President Yoon as the chief of insurrection was handled by the 25th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Ji Gui-yeon), which is a different court. However, there is also a possibility that the two cases could be merged in the future.
On the afternoon of the 19th, the special prosecution arrested and indicted former President Yoon for interfering with the exercise of authority, creating false public documents and related acts, violating the Presidential Records Act, damaging public documents, violating the Presidential Security Act, obstructing the performance of specific public duties, and aiding the evasion of a criminal.
Former President Yoon is accused of infringing upon the constitutional rights of nine other cabinet members by only convening a partial cabinet meeting before announcing the emergency martial law on December 3 of last year, depriving them of their rights to deliberate and decide on the martial law. Additionally, after lifting the martial law, he is accused of creating false documents for the announcement of martial law and subsequently shredding and disposing of this document, which is a presidential record and a public document.
Furthermore, former President Yoon is also accused of instructing that the false statement containing 'there was not the slightest intention to destroy the constitutional order' be transmitted to foreign press through a press guidance, and for directing the deletion of records from the secret communications of former Director of the Defense Intelligence Command, Lee In-hyung. He is also accused of preventing the execution of an arrest warrant from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in January.
However, it has been reported that the foreign affairs charge alleging that former President Yoon induced an attack from North Korea regarding the emergency martial law has not been applied.