Seoul, Feb 28 The South Korean prosecution on Friday indicted nine military and police officials without detention on charges of participating in the blockade of the National Assembly and the operation of an arrest team during South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law on December 3, last year.
Those referred to trials include Lee Sang-hyun, commander of the 1st Airborne Brigade; Kim Hyun-tae, head of the Army Special Warfare Command's 707th Special Mission Group; Mok Hyun-tae, former head of the National Assembly Police Guards; Kim Dae-woo, chief of the Defence Counterintelligence Command's investigation unit; Yoon Seung-young, director of the National Office of Investigation's investigation planning and coordination; and Defence Ministry Investigation Headquarters Chief Park Heon-su.
Some of them are also charged with taking part in the occupation of the National Election Commission buildings and the arrest of its officials, the prosecution said, Yonhap news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the South Korean Constitutional Court is expected to decide whether to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office or reinstate him around mid-March.
The court capped the trial after 11 rounds, 73 days after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon over his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3.
The impeachment motion accuses Yoon of violating the Constitution and laws by declaring martial law in the absence of a national emergency and ignoring due procedures, such as holding a Cabinet meeting and notifying the Parliament.
Yoon has argued his declaration of martial law was an act of governance meant to send a warning to the Opposition party over its repeated impeachments of government officials and attempts to cut the government budget.
If Yoon, who was elected in May 2022 for a single, five-year term, is formally removed from office, a snap election will be held within 60 days. However, if the impeachment is dismissed, Yoon will immediately resume his duties.
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