SOUTH KOREAN investigators asked prosecutors today to charge the country’s detained President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law last month.

Investigators accused the president of abusing power and obstructing parliament.

The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) for High-Ranking Officials said that President Yoon staged a “riot” and sought to undermine the constitution when he declared martial law on December 3 and sent troops and police officers to seal the National Assembly.

Lee Jae Seung, deputy chief prosecutor at the CIO, told a televised briefing that President Yoon also abused his power by mobilising troops for an illegitimate purpose and attempted to obstruct parliament’s right to vote on ending martial law.

Despite the presence of armed troops, lawmakers managed to enter the assembly chamber and called for an end to the emergency decree in a unanimous vote. 

The assembly later impeached President Yoon, suspending his presidential powers, and the Constitutional Court is now deliberating to determine whether to formally throw Mr Yoon out of office or reinstate him.

President Yoon has steadfastly maintained that his actions were intended to issue a warning to the opposition-controlled parliament over its obstruction of his agenda, rather than to disrupt its work.

The CIO has been leading a probe into President Yoon with police and military authorities, and detained him last week.

“As you know, despite facing a nationally grave allegation as ringleader of a rebellion, the suspect has been constantly maintaining an unco-operative stance and defying criminal judicial proceedings,” Mr Lee said.

President Yoon rebuffed efforts to question him for weeks and used the presidential security service to repel a first attempt to detain him.

He argues that the investigation and his detention are illegal.

The president’s defence team issued a statement accusing the CIO of “humiliating” President Yoon by trying to press him to speak to investigators and abusing his human rights by preventing him from contacting family members. 

President Yoon has refused to participate in questioning since being detained, citing his right to remain silent.

Appearing at a Constitutional Court hearing for the first time on Tuesday, President Yoon denied that he ordered the military to drag lawmakers out of the National Assembly to prevent them from voting. 

Commanders of military units that were sent to the assembly have testified that President Yoon ordered them to pull lawmakers out.

President Yoon’s continued defiance and the opposition’s push to oust him have intensified South Korea’s already serious internal divisions.