Prosecutors have indicted former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun on charges of treason and playing a significant role in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law on December 3. 

The prosecution’s special team probing the martial law incident said on Friday that it also indicted Kim on charges of abusing his power and interfering in the exercise of rights. 

Kim is the first figure to be indicted in the martial law incident.

He is accused of sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on a resolution demanding the president to lift the martial law order. 

Prosecutors believe that Kim ordered Defense Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung to round up and detain around ten political figures, including National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, then-chair of the ruling People Power Party Han Dong-hoon, and main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. 

Prosecutors also suspect that Yoon held discussions with Kim about declaring emergency martial law since at least March and launched active preparations for the martial law declaration from last month.