A special counsel team indicted former People Power Party floor leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho on Sunday on charges related to ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid last December.

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's investigation team said Choo was indicted without physical detention on allegations that he blocked party lawmakers from participating in a parliamentary vote to lift the martial law decree issued on Dec. 3, 2024.

The team had sought an arrest warrant for Choo, but a Seoul court denied it last week, citing room for dispute regarding the facts of the case and insufficient grounds for the need for his formal arrest.

Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the People Power Party, who is accused of obstructing lawmakers’ participation in a vote to lift martial law during the Dec. 3 emergency martial law declaration, leaves the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, on the Wednesday after a court dismissed a warrant for his arrest. (Yonhap)
Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the People Power Party, who is accused of obstructing lawmakers’ participation in a vote to lift martial law during the Dec. 3 emergency martial law declaration, leaves the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, on the Wednesday after a court dismissed a warrant for his arrest. (Yonhap)

Choo, once considered a key ally of Yoon, is accused of deliberately and repeatedly changing the venue of an emergency party meeting on the night of Dec. 3 at the request of Yoon. The PPP was the ruling party when Yoon was the president.

Due to the changes, only 18 of the PPP's 108 lawmakers took part in the parliamentary vote to lift Yoon's decree, which passed unanimously early the next morning among the 190 lawmakers present.

Choo immediately denounced prosecutors for what he called an "unwarranted" indictment based on fabricated charges, claiming he had not received any request from Yoon regarding the martial law.

"The special counsel proceeded ahead with its political indictment without further evidence, even after its request for an arrest warrant was dismissed for failing to substantiate the charges," Choo said in a press release, accusing the investigation team of political persecution.

In late November, the National Assembly approved a motion for Choo's arrest. By law, sitting lawmakers are immune from arrest while parliament is in session and can only be put under arrest with consent from the Assembly.

Meanwhile, the special counsel team also indicted former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn without physical detention on charges of inciting an insurrection following Yoon's martial law decree. He also faces charges of special obstruction of public duty.

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty and Innovation Party, leaves the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon District, Seoul, on the Nov. 20, after the first-trial verdict hearing related to the “National Assembly fast-track clashes". (Yonhap)
Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty and Innovation Party, leaves the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon District, Seoul, on the Nov. 20, after the first-trial verdict hearing related to the “National Assembly fast-track clashes". (Yonhap)

Hwang, who served under former President Park Geun-hye, wrote messages on his Facebook account following Yoon's brief imposition of martial law calling for rooting out pro-North Korea forces and those involved in alleged electoral fraud.

He also called for the arrest of National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and then PPP leader Han Dong-hoon.

A court also denied a warrant to arrest Hwang last month, citing insufficient explanations for the need for his arrest. (Yonhap)