Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been charged by a special prosecutor with aiding an enemy state and abusing his power in connection with a failed declaration of martial law late last year.
The indictment alleges that Yoon conspired with senior military officials to create conditions that would justify the imposition of emergency martial law and increase the risk of armed conflict with North Korea. Prosecutors say evidence includes a memo from a former counter-intelligence commander that urged targeting places “that must make them … lose face” — including key North Korean sites — in order to provoke a response.
According to prosecutor Park Ji‑young, the evidence shows Yoon and others “conspired to create conditions that would allow the declaration of emergency martial law, thereby increasing the risk of inter-Korean armed confrontation and harming public military interests.”
Yoon was officially removed from office in April 2025 after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment over his brief martial law decree in December. He is already on trial for insurrection and other charges related to that attempt.
The new indictment adds the charge of “benefitting the enemy in general,” which South Korean law says can carry the death penalty if proven. Prosecutors allege Yoon ordered drone flights into North Korea last October as part of the plan.
Also indicted alongside Yoon are former Defence Minister Kim Yong‑hyun and ex-military intelligence chief Yeo In‑hyung, who are accused of aiding the scheme.
Yoon has denied any intent to impose military rule, claiming his martial law move was aimed at countering “anti-state” forces.
The development marks a dramatic escalation in a case that has already shaken South Korea’s democracy. With one of the country’s most senior former leaders now facing charges of conspiring to provoke conflict with the North, the country enters a fraught and potentially historic judicial chapter.
