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The president faces an accusation of insurrection and, in a first for a sitting leader, the possibility of arrest. Here’s what to know about his political future.
Dec. 10, 2024, 6:48 a.m. ET
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law and the ensuing political uncertainty have created a constitutional crisis like South Koreans haven’t seen since their country democratized in the late 1980s.
Mr. Yoon has been banned from leaving the country as police and prosecutors investigate whether he and his supporters in the government and military committed insurrection when they sent armed troops into the National Assembly last week. That makes him the first sitting president to face a criminal investigation, and sets him up to potentially be the first arrested while in office.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly moved to appoint a special counsel to investigate allegations of insurrection against Mr. Yoon, in addition to the inquiries by the police and prosecutors.
Here is where things stand for Mr. Yoon.
What are the accusations against the president?
The investigations into the president center on the deployment of armed troops to the National Assembly shortly after he declared martial law last Tuesday night. The opposition has said that Mr. Yoon committed insurrection when he sent the troops to block lawmakers from voting against military rule, as was their right under the country’s Constitution.
Col. Kim Hyun-tae, who led a special forces unit that was sent into the Assembly, said he received orders to forcibly remove lawmakers to prevent 150 of them — the number required to repeal martial law — from gathering.
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