Prosecutors have 11 days to decide whether to file charges that would lead to a criminal trial against Yoon Suk-yeol, who has been suspended from office.
In South Korea, researchers recommend the president to be suspended from office For Yoon Suk-yeol charged with rebellion and abuse of power.
The group of authorities that investigated Yoon’s actions handed over the report of their investigation to the prosecutors on Thursday. Prosecutors have 11 days to decide whether to file charges that would lead to a criminal trial.
Yoon has already been impeached because he unexpectedly declared a state of emergency in the country at the beginning of December. Yoon’s declaration was quickly revoked by the parliament, although Yoon tried to prevent the repeal by sending soldiers to the parliament.
According to the investigation team, Yoon had agreed on the December events with the former defense minister and military commanders. According to the group’s report, Yoon declared the state of emergency “with the intention of disrupting the constitutional order” and thereby inciting riots.
The declaration of a state of emergency plunged the country into political chaos, and the opposition has seen it as an attempted coup. Authorities have been investigating Yoon’s actions ever since.
Yoon was heard in court
On Thursday, Yoon was heard again at South Korea’s Constitutional Court. Yoon said that in his opinion, the short-lived state of emergency was not a failure, it just ended a little earlier than he had expected.
Also the former defense minister who resigned after the declaration of a state of emergency Kim Yong-hyun was heard by the court on Thursday. He said that Yoon had declared a state of emergency reluctantly.
Earlier this week, Yoon denied in court that he had ordered soldiers to forcibly remove MPs from the country’s parliament, so that they could not revoke the state of emergency.
Yoon was arrested last week, and over the weekend the court decided to extend Yoon’s detention for a good two weeks.
The Constitutional Court is currently hearing Yoon’s impeachment. If the judges decide to uphold the charges, it would officially remove him from office.
After Yoon’s arrest, he became acting president Han Duck-soowho has also since been impeached. After Han’s ouster, the country’s finance minister became the interim president Choi Sang-mok.