South Korean prosecutors on Sunday indicted impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on rebellion in connection with his short-lived imposition of martial law, a criminal charge that could incur the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted. This is the latest blow to Yoon, who was impeached and arrested over his Dec 3 martial law decree that plunged the country into political turmoil, shook its financial markets and hurt its international image. Separate from criminal judicial proceedings, the Constitutional Court is now deliberating whether to formally dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him. Yoon has become South Korea's first president who has been indicted while in office.

He will remain jailed and be escorted from a detention facility to a Seoul court for hearings in the trial, which is expected to last about six months. Prosecutors said in a statement that they indicted Yoon on charges that he directed a rebellion when he imposed martial law. Investigative authorities have earlier alleged that Yoon's imposition of martial law amounted to rebellion, because he staged riots with the purpose of undermining the constitution. Yoon's defence team lashed out at the indictment, calling it "the worst decision" by prosecutors who they say are trying to curry favour with political forces who want Yoon's exit. "Today's indictment of the president will remain as a shame in the history of South Korean prosecutors that they cannot erase," Yoon's defence team said in a statement. "We stress once again that a president's declaration of martial law can never be rebellion."