South Korean prosecutors charge accused president

South Korean prosecutors on Sunday charged accused President Yoon Suk Yeol over his imposition of martial law last month, according to news reports.

Yonhap News Agency reported that the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office charged Yoon with rebellion in connection with his December 3 decree that plunged the country into massive political turmoil. Other South Korean media outlets have carried similar reports.

Repeated calls to the prosecutors’ office went unanswered.

Yoon was previously charged and arrested under the martial law decree.

The Constitutional Court is separately deliberating whether to formally rule out Yoon as president or reinstate him.

Yoon, a conservative, has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, calling his martial law a legitimate act of government aimed at raising public awareness about the danger of the liberal-controlled National Assembly that obstructed his agenda and blamed top officials.

During his martial law announcement, Yoon called the Assembly “a den of criminals” and promised to eliminate “shameless North Korean followers and anti-state forces.”