Yoon Indicted for Ordering Drones Over North Korea

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faced fresh indictments on Monday as investigators accused him of ordering unauthorized drone flights over North Korea in October 2024 to provoke tensions and create a pretext for his short-lived declaration of martial law two months later.

The special counsel's office, led by prosecutor Cho Eunsuk, charged Yoon, 64, along with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former Defense Counterintelligence Commander Lt. Gen. Yeo In-hyung with benefiting the enemy, a national security offense akin to treason that carries penalties of up to life imprisonment or death. The trio also faces counts of abuse of power and harming South Korea's military interests. A fourth individual, Kim Yong-dae, head of the Drone Operations Command, was indicted on related charges including abuse of power and falsifying documents.

According to the investigation, Yoon directed the drone missions to fly over Pyongyang on October 3, 6, and 9, dropping propaganda leaflets in an effort to incite a North Korean response and heighten inter-Korean instability. The operation, conducted without proper authorization, led to at least one drone crashing near the North...