South Korea prosecutors indict ex-president for aiding enemy state

South Korea’s special prosecutor’s team has charged former President Yoon Suk-yeol for aiding the enemy, Yonhap News Agency reports.

The charges stem from the deployment of drones into North Korea in October 2024. According to one version, Yoon Suk-yeol authorized drone flights over Pyongyang to provoke North Korea and create a pretext to impose martial law. However, the plan failed, and the former president declared martial law in early December 2024 to combat alleged anti-state elements.

In October, one of South Korea’s drones crashed near Pyongyang, and the equipment fell into the hands of North Korean authorities. In this regard, the prosecution believes that due to the actions of the former president, “classified military information was disclosed.”

The prosecutors have, therefore, invoked Article 99 of the Criminal Code, which applies when a person undermines the interests of the Republic of Korea in the military sphere or provides assistance to the enemy in ways not specified in other articles.

The Criminal Code of the Republic of Korea stipulates punishment for participating in combat on the enemy’s side, supplying weapons, ammunition, and equipment, or recruiting soldiers for the enemy. Yonhap notes that it was previously considered that Yoon Suk-yeol could be charged under the article on conspiracy with the enemy for the purpose of launching military actions against South Korea.

In addition to allegations of aiding the enemy, special prosecutor Cho Eun-seok’s team has accused Yoon Suk-yeol of abuse of power. The investigators are examining the circumstances under which martial law was declared. Earlier, the former president had been charged with staging a coup. He has been held in pretrial detention since July.