Prosecutors indict Pres. Yoon under detention for insurrection

And on the political front,

South Korean prosecutors indicted President Yoon Suk Yeol, on charges of leading an insurrection, just a day before his detention was set to end.

This is the first time in the country's history, that a sitting president has been indicted.

Our political correspondent Shin Ha-young reports.

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to stand trial, becoming the first sitting president in South Korea's history to be indicted under detention.

Prosecutors on Sunday indicted President Yoon on charges of leading an insurrection through his brief imposition of martial law.

The move came 54 days after the declaration of martial law and just one day before Yoon's detention period was set to end.

The prosecution's special investigation team took over the case from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on Thursday earlier than planned, following Yoon's refusal to cooperate with the CIO.

The prosecutors twice requested to extend Yoon's detention for further investigations but the Seoul Central District Court rejected it.

Although the court's decision prevented further investigations, such as questioning the President in person, the prosecution concluded that indicting him was appropriate after reviewing the evidence gathered so far.

They also cited ongoing concerns about evidence tampering.

Yoon also faced allegations of abuse of power, but those charges were dropped, because under South Korean law, a sitting president has immunity from most criminal prosecutions, except for charges related to insurrection or inciting foreign aggression.

In response, Yoon's legal team condemned the indictment, saying the prosecution has committed a historic mistake.

It expressed confidence that the truth will be uncovered in court and vowed to expose the illegalities in the investigation and the truth behind the insurrection accusations.

Yoon will be held in custody for up to six months in the first trial, and up to eight months each for the second and third trials.

The prosecution claims they can prove guilt without further investigations, but with President Yoon's side denying the insurrection charges and claiming the investigation was illegal, intense courtroom battles are expected.

As the unprecedented investigation of a sitting president ended abruptly with numerous challenges, this hints that controversies are expected to continue throughout the trial.

Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.