The ousted former president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, was arrested in January concerning a failed imposition of martial law in December, but was later released in March while a criminal investigation continued.

On Thursday, Yoon was arrested once again by South Korean authorities on multiple criminal charges that stem from what some described as an attempted coup last year, the Washington Examiner reported.

If convicted of the five charges against him, and more charges could be coming soon, the impeached and removed former president could face the death penalty or a lifetime sentence in prison.

New criminal charges against the former president

South Korea's Yonhap News reported on Wednesday that Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk obtained a warrant from the Seoul Central District Court to rearrest former President Yoon on five criminal charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law on the country in December.

Those charges include allegations that Yoon violated the rights of some of his former Cabinet members, as well as that he created false documents to support his illegal declaration of martial law.

The other charges involve allegations that he ordered a spokesperson to make false statements to the public, that he ordered his presidential security team to illegally block the initial effort to take him into custody in January, and that he had given orders for evidence of his failed coup attempt to be destroyed.

Yoon and his attorneys were present at the hearing on Thursday in which the warrant was issued and denied any wrongdoing, and he was immediately rearrested and ordered to be held in custody while the court decides his fate.

Arrested and ordered held in custody

According to the Associated Press, Special Counsel Cho sought the warrant to rearrest former President Yoon over concerns that he posed a risk of destroying additional evidence of his alleged crimes if allowed to remain free.

Yoon's attorneys have not yet commented on his rearrest on Thursday, but previously opposed Cho's request for a warrant because it would be excessive and that the allegations against Yoon were unsubstantiated.

The AP noted that the former president can be held in jail for up to 20 days on the current charges, but that stay in detention could be extended to up to six months if prosecutors file additional charges, and if convicted and sentenced on the initial charges, he could be ordered to remain in custody while the extra charges work their way through the court system.

Charged with leading an attempted insurrection and rebellion

Per the AP, former President Yoon declared martial law in South Korea on December 3 in an attempt to shut down so-called "anti-state" leftist legislators who opposed him, but the legislature overturned that decree within a matter of hours after lawmakers forced their way through a blockade of soldiers.

Yoon was then impeached less than two weeks later -- he was formally removed from office in April when a court upheld the impeachment -- and was criminally indicted in January, which led to an armed standoff as his presidential security team initially blocked police from making an arrest before later standing down.

Following the late January arrest, he was subsequently released from custody in March on a technicality and was permitted to remain free while facing the initial set of charges, but he is now back in jail after the second indictment and arrest.

As noted, Yoon could face lifetime imprisonment or even execution if he is convicted of the charges that stem from his alleged attempted insurrection and rebellion against South Korea's constitutional order.