Yoon faces trial over martial law attempt

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the fifth oral arguments for his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court.
Yoon, impeached and suspended from power on Dec. 14, has been incarcerated since last week while investigators probe his Dec. 3 attempt to impose martial law - a move that shocked the nation even though it was overturned within hours by parliament.
Yoon and his lawyers have said he never intended to fully impose martial law but had only meant the measures as a warning to break a political deadlock.
The top court will determine whether to remove Yoon from office or reinstate his presidential powers. It has 180 days to decide on that.
South Korea’s suspended president Yoon Suk-yeol attempted to cripple the country’s media outlets by cutting off their power and water supply during his failed martial law bid, according to investigators.
The latest allegation contradicts the impeached leader’s previous assertions that his short-lived decree was meant to expose the “dictatorship” of an opposition-controlled parliament.
A leaked 101-page indictment prepared by prosecutors states that Yoon instructed his home minister, Lee Sang-min, to “blockade” and cut off electricity and water supply to non-compliant newspapers, including the Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang, as well as broadcasters MBC and JTBC.
The directive was reportedly issued at midnight on December 3, roughly 1.5 hours after Yoon declared martial law.
Yoon’s home minister reportedly relayed the instruction to Heo Seok-gon, head of the National Fire Agency, who ultimately did not act on it, stating at a National Assembly hearing last month that such actions were beyond his agency’s jurisdiction.
Yoon was arrested and formally indicted last month on charges of leading an insurrection through his imposition of martial law, which was lifted just hours later when troops failed to prevent the opposition-controlled assembly from convening and passing a motion to nullify it.