Former South Korean President Yoon arrested again: Special prosecutor launches full investigation, but opposition parties voice concerns of ”political retaliation”

On the 10th of this month, the special prosecutor investigating the "emergency martial law" imposed by former South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol in December last year arrested Yoon on suspicion of special obstruction of public duties.
He was arrested in January for masterminding the 2015 scandal, but was released in March after a district court accepted Yoon's argument that his detention was unjust. This is Yoon's second arrest, and his first in about four months.
After President Lee Jae-myung, who has criticized the Yoon administration, took office in June, the National Assembly of South Korea proposed that a special prosecutor independent of the government investigate the civil unrest surrounding Yoon's declaration of "emergency martial law."
The special prosecutor has taken over the investigation that the police had been carrying out and is conducting a wide-ranging investigation to pursue responsibility for the "emergency law," but there is also backlash from the opposition parties and others, who see this as "political retaliation."
The "emergency martial law" declared by Yoon in December last year is a type of martial law defined by the South Korean Constitution. It can be issued by the president in times of war or other emergency situations, when it is necessary for military purposes, or to maintain public order.
This was the first time that martial law had been declared since democratization in 1987. After the declaration, armed soldiers of the martial law army broke the windows and stormed into the National Assembly building.
In response, many citizens gathered in front of the National Diet, chanting slogans against martial law and surrounding military vehicles, causing chaos.
However, martial law can only be lifted if a majority of members of Congress request it, and the president must comply.
Immediately after the declaration, a plenary session of the National Assembly was held and all members in attendance voted in favor of lifting the state of emergency. Yoon lifted the state of emergency after just six hours.
At the time, the opposition Democratic Party of Korea and other parties were accusing Yoon of "attempting to suspend the constitutional order."
The National Assembly submitted a motion to impeach Yoon, accusing him of violating the Constitution by saying he had "committed an attempted civil war with a view to seizing permanent power." The motion was passed by a vote in the National Assembly, and Yoon was subsequently removed from office.
He was suspended from his duties. The prime minister and other officials then assumed the duties of the president. The declaration of "emergency martial law" caused great political and social unrest, and the opposition party accused Yoon of instigating rebellion.
Article 7 stipulates that those who cause riots with the intent of eliminating state power or upsetting the Constitution will be punished as committing treason. The maximum penalty is the death penalty.
In January, the joint investigation headquarters of the National Police Agency and the National Guard arrested and indicted Yoon on suspicion of masterminding a rebellion. However, Yoon's legal team argued that Yoon's detention period had already expired by the time the prosecution indicted him.
He filed a petition to have his detention overturned, arguing that it was unjust, and the court granted his request, leading to his release in March. Yoon had been undergoing his trial from home until now.
In South Korea, following Yoon's impeachment, a presidential election was held on the 3rd of last month, and the opposition party until the election was
Lee Jae-myung of the progressive Democratic Party of Korea was elected. While Lee called for "overcoming the civil war" and was eager to pursue responsibility for the "emergency martial law," the National Assembly announced last month that it would establish a special prosecutor independent of the government.
The bill was passed by the Democratic Party of Korea, which became the ruling party following Lee's victory in the presidential election, to allow the inspector general to investigate allegations of corruption against Yoon.
On the 10th, the special prosecutor arrested Yoon on charges of special obstruction of justice and abuse of power.
Yoon is accused of instructing the presidential bodyguard to prevent the arrests of the president, and of excluding some cabinet ministers from attending cabinet meetings when the "emergency martial law" was declared in December last year.
This is the first time in four months that Yoon has been arrested. The Seoul Central District Court, which issued the arrest warrant, explained that the reason for the arrest was that there was a risk of evidence being destroyed. Yoon denies the charges.
Regarding Yoon's arrest again, Park Sang-hyuk, chief spokesman for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 10th, "It is a normal act to ensure justice.
"It's a wise decision," he said. Meanwhile, according to public broadcaster KBS, the main opposition party, the People Power Party, held a meeting of its executive committee on the 10th but did not mention Yoon's arrest.
After the meeting, the head of the emergency response committee said, "We will closely monitor the related investigations and trials." Regarding Yoon, the military has been urging the government to send drones into North Korea to justify the "emergency martial law."
The South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh said, "The special counsel's arrest of former President Yoon has given impetus to the investigation into the allegations of foreign treason, the substance of which has remained unclear.
However, the expansion of the investigation by a special prosecutor recommended by the ruling party has been met with opposition from the People Power Party, which supported the Yoon administration, and Yoon's supporters.