South Korean special prosecutors indicted the wife of jailed ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol and former prime minister Han Duck Soo on criminal charges on Friday.
The indictments of former first lady Kim Keon Hee and Han are part of three special prosecutor investigations launched under the government of liberal president Lee Jae Myung, targeting the presidency of Yoon, a conservative who was removed from office in April and rearrested last month over his December martial law decree.
Yoon’s defence minister, safety minster, and many other senior military commanders and police officers have already been arrested over their involvements in imposing martial law.
South Korea’s jailed ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol again refused to attend questioning by investigators Friday, using a new method to resist: He took off his prison uniform and lay down on the floor at his detention room.
Earlier this month, a South Korean court ordered the arrest of Kim. Investigators sought to charge her over various suspected crimes, including bribery, stock manipulation and meddling in the selection of a candidate.
Yoon, removed from office in April over his ill-fated imposition of martial law, was sent back to prison last month as he stands a high-stakes trial over rebellion and other charges. Yoon, a conservative, faces investigations into other criminal allegations that are not related to his Dec. 3 martial law decree but target him, his wife and others.
Min Joong-ki, a special counsel named Mr Lee, sent investigators to retrieve Yoon from a detention centre near Seoul after the former president twice defied requests to attend questioning. Mr Min's team is tasked with delving into allegations surrounding Yoon's wife, including that she and her husband exerted inappropriate influence on the then-ruling party's election nomination process in 2022.
Yoon's imposition of martial law, which brought armed troops into Seoul streets, lasted only a few hours before lawmakers voted down his decree unanimously.
Yoon has rejected charges of leading an insurrection as his high-profile criminal trial began in Seoul.
