South Korea's criminal trial of ousted leader Yoon starts

14/4/2025 12:29

The criminal trial of South Korea's ousted leader Yoon Suk Yeol began on Monday over charges that he led an insurrection when he declared martial law late last year and plunged the country into months of turmoil.



Yoon's declaration that martial law was needed in part to root out "anti-state" elements was lifted six hours later after parliamentary staffers used barricades and fire extinguishers to ward off special operations soldiers trying to enter parliament, where lawmakers voted to reject martial law.



At the start of proceedings on Monday, prosecutors argued Yoon lacked the legal grounds to declare martial law and accused him of trying to paralyse state institutions such as parliament.



Yoon has said that he had no intention of paralysing the country, and that martial law was needed to show how the majority opposition party was conducting "legislative dictatorship" by repeatedly blocking his government's agenda.



The charge of insurrection faced by the impeached leader is punishable by life imprisonment or even death, although South Korea has not executed anyone in decades.