The prosecutorʼs office has informed South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol of suspicion of treason.
This is reported by the South Korean agency Yonhap.
Prosecutors are investigating charges of treason and abuse of power against the president.
When asked about the possibility of an emergency arrest of the president Park Se Hyun, the head of the special investigation staff of the Martial Law Prosecutorʼs Office, said he did not know if the investigation would lead to that.
Yoon Seok Yeol has the privilege of not being prosecuted while in office, but treason is an exception. Park Se Hyun said that both charges — of treason, abuse of power and obstruction — are subject to investigation by the prosecutorʼs office.
The prosecutorʼs office also reported suspicion of treason to former defense minister Kim Yong Hyun and arrested him. He suggested that President Yoon Seok Yeol impose martial law.
What preceded
Yoon Seok Yeol declared martial law in the country on the night of December 3-4 to "protect the constitutional order" — the first time since the 1980s. The reason was that the opposition Democratic Party of South Korea, which has a majority in the parliament, rejected the governmentʼs budget proposal and decided to impeach the state auditor and the chief prosecutor.
An hour later, South Koreaʼs parliament passed a resolution calling for martial law to be lifted. The South Korean government supported the "plan to lift martial law" as demanded by the parliament. Martial law lasted for about six hours.
When parliamentarians adopted the resolution, people sang the national anthem and applauded in the streets. According to preliminary estimates, four thousand citizens gathered near the parliament building.
The leader of the opposition Democratic Party Park Chan Dae said that the South Korean president will not be able to avoid accusations of treason and should "immediately resign".
- President Yoon Seok Yeol has low approval ratings in the country, particularly due to rising food and housing prices, labour conflicts and a sharp drop in the birth rate. The presidentʼs reputation has also been under fire over a hidden camera video of First Lady Kim Keon Hee allegedly accepting a $2 200 Dior bag as a gift.
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