Indictment of sitting president

[Anchor]

The sitting president has been brought to court.

The prosecution has indicted President Yoon Seok-yeol on charges of insurrection.

This is the first time in constitutional history that a sitting president has been indicted and detained.

Let's connect to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office.

Reporter Hwang Hyun-kyu, the decision was made this evening (Jan. 26), right?

[Reporter]

Yes, the prosecution announced about two hours ago that they have indicted President Yoon on charges of insurrection.

The Special Investigation Headquarters of the prosecution stated through a press release that President Yoon has been indicted on charges of being the leader of an insurrection.

For the first time in constitutional history, a sitting president has been brought to trial in custody. This comes 54 days after the declaration of a state of emergency martial law.

The prosecution decided to indict President Yoon after comprehensively reviewing evidence from the accomplice cases that have been investigated.

President Yoon is accused of conspiring with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to declare an unconstitutional and illegal state of emergency martial law and inciting a riot with the aim of disrupting the constitution by deploying troops to the National Assembly.

The prosecution, which received the case from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), initially planned to conduct investigations until early next month before deciding on the indictment.

However, as the court rejected the request to extend the detention period twice, the prosecution ultimately indicted President Yoon just one day before the expiration of the detention period without conducting face-to-face investigations.

Following the prosecution's decision to indict, President Yoon's legal team stated that the president's declaration of a state of martial law cannot be considered a crime of insurrection, and it is now time for the judiciary to reveal the truth.

[Anchor]

I see. President Yoon will soon stand trial in a criminal court?

[Reporter]

Yes, with the indictment, President Yoon will spend the Lunar New Year at the Seoul Detention Center.

Although he has changed from a suspect to a defendant, there is no change in his status as a pre-trial detainee, so he will remain in the solitary confinement he is currently in.

However, the ban on visits from anyone other than the attorney designated by the CIO has now been lifted.

The CIO has determined that since the case has been transferred to the prosecution, it is impossible to take additional measures.

Meanwhile, President Yoon's legal team argues that the provisions regarding video substantive review and the deduction of the detention period in the Criminal Procedure Act should be interpreted in favor of the suspect, claiming that the detention period ended at midnight on the 25th.

With this indictment, President Yoon becomes the fifth president in history to stand trial in a criminal court, including former presidents.

This has been Hwang Hyun-kyu from the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office for KBS News.