Seoul: A special counsel team announced the indictment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and five other former senior officials over former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup's alleged flight to Australia last year.

According to Yonhap News Agency, special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon's team has been investigating allegations that Lee fled to Australia in March last year as he faced an investigation for allegedly interfering in a military probe into the 2023 death of a Marine. Yoon is accused of ordering Lee's appointment as ambassador to Australia in November 2023 to allegedly help him evade the investigation. The charges against Yoon include assisting in Lee's departure, abuse of power, and violating the State Public Officials Act.

The indictment also includes former National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong, former First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin, former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, and two others connected to the case. This development follows the team's earlier indictment of Yoon for allegedly exerting undue pressure on the probe into the Marine's death. The former leader is already on trial for his brief imposition of martial law on December 3.

The investigation team believes Yoon's alleged order for Lee's appointment was intended to obstruct the investigation's progress surrounding the Marine's death and prevent implications against him. Allegations suggest that the presidential Office of National Security, the foreign ministry, and the justice ministry were involved in arranging Lee's appointment and subsequent departure.

Four days after Lee's appointment, a travel ban against him was lifted, enabling his departure to Australia. However, he returned home 11 days later due to the mounting controversy surrounding his departure.