The People Power Party criticized the prosecution for the indictment of President Yoon Suk-yeol under charges of insurrection related to the “December 3 Martial Law Incident.” This marks the first time a sitting South Korean president has become a defendant, which the party referred to as a “misguided and shoddy indictment” that the prosecution cannot avoid taking legal and political responsibility for. Shin Dong-wook, the party’s chief spokesperson, stated that the flawed actions of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) have led to national division and public confusion.
He argued that the PPS’s actions, ranging from illegal arrests and investigations to this indictment, have effectively reduced the prosecution to a “subcontractor for indictment” of the PPS. Shin emphasized that the prosecution would find it difficult to escape “serious responsibility” for today’s flawed indictment.
Moreover, Shin called on the South Korean judiciary to take decisive action, insisting they should annul the “illegal investigation records” of the PPS and dismiss the charges. The prosecution’s Martial Law Special Investigation Division has indicted President Yoon on charges of leading insurrection. Previous attempts to extend Yoon’s detention period were denied by the court due to lack of explicit provisions for supplementary investigations by the prosecution under the PPS Act.
The decision to proceed with the indictment was made following a meeting discussing President Yoon’s detention and prosecution, attended by the Prosecutor General, deputy directors, and chief prosecutors nationwide.