The special counsel investigating allegations of abuse of power and a cover-up in the death of Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol and 11 other former government and military officials on Friday.
According to the special counsel, Yoon was indicted without detention on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of official documents. The indictment comes 142 days after the special probe began. Yoon is currently in detention and on trial on charges related to short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.
In the latest indictment, Yoon is accused of ordering illegal intervention to alter the outcome of the Marine Corps' internal investigation into the July 2023 drowning death of Cpl. Chae during a flood rescue mission. Prosecutors say Yoon pressured military and government officials to shield senior Marine commanders, including Lim Seong-geun, then-commander of the 1st Marine Division, from being named as suspects.
Alongside Yoon, 11 former high-ranking officials were also indicted, including Cho Tae-yong, who was director of the National Security Office, and former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup.
Others named in the indictment include former Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul, former Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu, former director of national defense policy at the Defense Ministry Heo Tae-geun, former legal affairs official at the Defense Ministry Yoo Jae-eun, former Defense Ministry military aide Park Jin-hee, former Defense Ministry prosecutor general Kim Dong-hyuk and former Marine Corps Commandant Kim Kye-hwan.
The special counsel stated that Yoon’s actions undermined the fairness of the investigation and the independence of official duties by unlawfully instructing the Ministry of National Defense and the presidential office to exclude certain individuals from legal scrutiny.
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