Seoul: A special counsel team announced the indictment of four lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) for allegedly obstructing an investigation involving former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The lawmakers are accused of forming a human barricade to prevent investigators from detaining the ex-president in connection with his failed 2024 martial law attempt.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Reps. Na Kyung-won, Kim Gi-hyeon, Kwon Young-jin, and Yoon Sang-hyun have been charged with special obstruction of official duties. The charges stem from their actions on January 15, 2025, when they allegedly blocked investigators outside the presidential residence during the second attempt to detain Yoon. The special counsel, led by Kwon Chang-young, stated that the defendants did not merely oppose the detention but actively participated in creating a human barrier.

The counsel's team verified these allegations through video footage and testimonies from officials involved in the operation. Despite the initial blockade, investigators succeeded in detaining Yoon later that day, following an earlier failed attempt due to a lack of cooperation from the Presidential Security Service.

These indictments follow the Supreme Court's recent confirmation of a seven-year prison sentence for Yoon, marking his first finalized conviction. Yoon has been undergoing multiple trials since imposing martial law briefly in December 2024, and a district court had previously sentenced him to life in prison for leading an insurrection. However, Yoon has appealed this ruling.