Yoon planned martial law early on: Probe team

Yoon Suk-yeol, former president of the Republic of Korea, prepared for over a year for his short-lived martial law decree that was declared on Dec 3, 2024, a special counsel team said on Monday.

"According to the investigation, it was confirmed that Yoon and others began preparations for the martial law declaration at least before October 2023," Cho Eun-suk, who leads the special counsel team, said at a news briefing as he announced the results of the team's 180-day investigation into the martial law bid.

Their plan was to paralyze the National Assembly by force through the military and seize legislative and judicial powers, with the aim of eliminating political opponents, monopolizing and maintaining power, Cho said.

In addition, Cho said that Yoon carried out abnormal military operations to provoke an armed response from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

But the attempt failed because the DPRK did not respond militarily. Therefore, Yoon and others labeled the political activities taking place in the National Assembly as "anti-state acts" and "anti-state forces plotting an insurrection", and declared martial law, according to the investigation.

Yoon declared emergency martial law on the night of Dec 3 last year, but lifted it in the early hours of the next day after the opposition-led National Assembly voted against it.

In April, the ROK's Constitutional Court ousted him as president, upholding a parliamentary vote to impeach him over the martial law decree.

A total of 24 individuals have been indicted by the special counsel team, which consists of 238 people. Besides Yoon, they include former prime minister Han Duck-soo, former interior minister Lee Sang-min, and former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun.

Yoon, Kim, Lee, and former national intelligence chief Cho Tae-yong are in custody.

The investigation results were confirmed based on physical evidence, including notes seized from Noh Sang-won, a former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command, phone memos from Yeo In-hyung, a former counterintelligence command chief and statements from relevant individuals.

Noting that Yoon had clashed with the ruling Democratic Party when he was the prosecutor general and resigned from his position, Cho Eun-suk said Yoon later framed the party as "a force that denies freedom and the rule of law and takes a large number of parliament seats" when he announced his presidential bid in June 2021.

During a meeting with People Power Party leadership in November 2022, after he was elected, Yoon said he would sweep the DP away, even if he "got shot to death", if he had emergency powers, revealing his hostility to the rival party, according to the investigation.

In related news, the Seoul Central District Court on Monday sentenced Noh, the former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command, to two years in prison for collecting the personal information of military intelligence officers in connection with martial law.

It marked the first court sentence among cases handled by the special counsel team, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Meanwhile, the ROK's Constitutional Court announced on the same day that it will deliver the impeachment trial ruling on Thursday for Cho Ji-ho, head of the National Police Agency.

Cho Ji-ho is accused of involvement in the martial law decree by blocking lawmakers' entry to the National Assembly and dispatching officers to the National Election Commission. The Assembly passed a motion to impeach him a year ago.

kelly@chinadailyapac.com