(Seoul) South Korean prosecutors on Monday (November 10) indicted former President Yoon Seok-youl on new charges, accusing him of ordering drones to fly over North Korean airspace to reinforce his attempt to declare martial law. Two other former defense ministers, Kim Yong-hyun and former counterintelligence commander Yeo In-hyung, were also indicted in connection with the case.
According to the independent prosecutor's team, charges of general treason and abuse of power, including obstruction of others' exercise of power, they are accused of instructing the drone operations command to send drones to North Korea last October, intending to provoke a military provocation from North Korea and create a pretext for declaring martial law.
The special prosecutor's team believes that the drone crash near Pyongyang resulted in the leakage of military secrets such as operational plans and combat capabilities, constituting general treason.
North Korea confirmed last year that South Korea had used drones to drop anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang. The South Korean special prosecutor's team later discovered key evidence in a memo from the former counterintelligence commander.
Yoon Seok-youl stated that he declared martial law to warn against the opposition's illegal activities and to protect democracy from "anti-state" forces. He is currently on trial for sedition and other related charges.
Further Reading
