Impeached South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol was indicted for his martial law declaration that plunged the country into political turmoil, with prosecutors accusing him of being a "ringleader of insurrection". His indictment on Sunday makes him the country's first sitting head of state to face a criminal trial for his short-lived martial law declaration on December 3. Yoon has been ordered to remain in a 12-square-metre (129-square-foot) cell at a detention centre in Seoul for the duration of his trial.
AFP takes a look at what lies ahead. Yoon has been charged with insurrection for his martial law declaration, which lawmakers voted down hours later before impeaching him. The 64-year-old resisted arrest for two weeks in a tense stand-off between his security team and investigators at his official residence in Seoul but was finally taken into custody on January 15.
The court must rule on the case within six months, or he will be released. If Yoon is found guilty of insurrection, he faces the death penalty or life imprisonment. Prosecutors previously raised concerns about the risk of evidence destruction, citing it as a reason to detain him.
But Yoon's lawyers said the investigation lacked legitimacy from the start and have challenged the legality of his indictment. "We are discussing a bail request (for Yoon) with the court," his lawyers told AFP on Monday, without giving any further details. For now, Yoon is housed in a cell equipped with a television, sink, and a single-p.
