Ex-Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung Indicted Over 2024 Martial Law Bid

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- A special counsel team on Thursday indicted former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung without detention over his alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid in 2024. The team, led by special counsel Kwon Chang-young, said Shim was indicted without physical detention on charges of playing a key role in the botched martial law bid and abusing his authority in the process. Shim is accused of reviewing the dispatch of prosecutors to a joint martial law investigation headquarters on Dec. 3, 2024, the night when Yoon declared martial law, at the direction of former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae. Kwon's team also suspects that Shim discussed response measures regarding crimes subject to military court jurisdiction and was involved in drafting a document outlining trial jurisdiction under martial law. Earlier in the day, Shim's representatives issued a statement, saying the special counsel had ignored evidence and legal principles and vowing to prove in court that the indictment was unjustified.