Why Is South Korea’s Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol Back Behind Bars?

July 10, 2025: South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk Yeol has been re-arrested and will not attend his latest trial hearing, citing health issues, according to state-run Yonhap News. The Seoul court approved his detention after the special counsel raised concerns that Yoon might tamper with or destroy evidence.

Yoon, 65, is currently being held at Seoul Detention Centre. He faces serious charges of insurrection tied to his failed attempt to impose martial law in December last year — a crime that could lead to life imprisonment or even the death penalty if convicted. The former president was impeached in April and initially arrested in January, though released in March due to procedural errors. His re-arrest marks a new chapter in a deepening political scandal.

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The controversy deepens as Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, is also under investigation for stock manipulation, election interference, and bribery. Authorities recently raided the residence of former prosecutor Kim Sang-min, as part of a broader probe into alleged candidate manipulation in the 2022 and 2024 elections.

At the heart of the charges is Yoon’s alleged attempt to block a parliamentary vote by sending armed soldiers to the National Assembly on December 3, aiming to enforce a now-discredited declaration of martial law. Prosecutors claim Yoon then fabricated a second martial law document, falsely legitimized by signatures from former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, before discarding it.

He also allegedly instructed his staff to spread false statements to foreign media, block his own detention, and delete secure phone records from top military officials. In perhaps the most alarming charge, investigators say Yoon suk yeol ordered drone incursions into North Korean airspace in October to provoke a hostile response — a move prosecutors say was designed to create a false pretext for martial law.

The country’s new president Lee Jae Myung, elected after snap elections in June, has already signed legislation authorizing special investigations into Yoon’s administration.