Yoon Suk Yeol, the former president of South Korea, has been officially charged with abuse of power and obstruction of government duties over his controversial move to impose martial law late last year.

Prosecutors allege that on December 3, 2024, Yoon attempted to disrupt democratic processes by deploying military forces to the National Assembly to prevent a vote against his martial law order. He reportedly failed to follow legal procedures, including holding a mandatory cabinet meeting before declaring martial law.

Yoon was first arrested in January after weeks of avoiding law enforcement with the help of his presidential security team. Although he was later released in March due to procedural errors, authorities re-arrested him last week amid fears that he could interfere with ongoing investigations.

Prosecutor Park Ji-young confirmed on Saturday that Yoon had also been charged with fabricating and discarding an official document that falsely claimed the prime minister and defense minister had approved the martial law decision.

Though Yoon has declined to answer investigators’ questions during his recent detention, he appeared in court Friday to contest his arrest. His lawyers argued that he faces health issues and limited mobility, but the court rejected their request to release him.

Yoon is currently being held in solitary confinement without air conditioning, as South Korea battles a severe heat wave. He remains on trial for additional charges, including attempting to overthrow the constitutional order.