A special counsel team led by Cho Eunsuk has indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges including abuse of power, as part of its probe into Yoon’s short-lived martial law decree.

Yoon was formally indicted at 2:40 p.m. Saturday while under pretrial detention. The charges mirror those listed in his arrest warrant.

They include obstruction of Cabinet deliberation rights, drafting a martial law declaration after the fact, releasing false information on martial law, ordering the deletion of encrypted phone records, and interfering with the execution of arrest warrants.

Deputy Special Prosecutor Park Ji-young briefed reporters of the indictment at a 3 p.m. briefing. She said Yoon notified only select Cabinet members of a meeting before the martial law declaration, effectively excluding others from exercising their constitutional right to participate.

She added that this action dismantled the constitutional mechanism meant to control the president’s power to declare martial law.

Park said the team decided to indict Yoon after a court rejected his habeas corpus petition late Friday. The team concluded further investigation would not be effective, even if his detention were extended.

Since his arrest on July 10, Yoon has refused to cooperate with the special counsel and denied all charges. Park said it was regrettable that no further questioning took place after theYoon was placed under pretrial detention. She added that Yoon’s behavior will be presented in court and reflected in sentencing.

The indictment does not yet include charges related to collusion with foreign forces. Park explained that questioning the former president is essential for that part of the case. If Yoon refuses again, the team will seek a warrant to compel his appearance.

This is Yoon’s third indictment regarding the December 3 martial law move.
Earlier this year, in January, Yoon was indicted by a special prosecutors’ office on charges of leading an attempted insurrection. He was also indicted in May for abuse of power, following his removal from office.