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South Korea's special counsel investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration has determined that Yoon began preparing for the measure as early as late 2023, about a year before his December 2024 attempt, officials said Monday.
Assistant special counsel Kim Ji-mi said in a briefing that the team concluded Yoon had made preparations for martial law since November 2023 after questioning former Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Kim Myung-soo, Yonhap reported.
Coverage Comparison
The determination was reported by Yonhap News Agency, which detailed both the special counsel's findings and related proceedings involving Kim Myung-soo. The coverage indicates the investigation is ongoing and has already led to significant legal consequences for Yoon, who was sentenced to life imprisonment over the martial law bid.
Key Claims
According to Yonhap, the special counsel team found that Yoon asked Kim Myung-soo on Nov. 29, 2023, whether he would carry out any order Yoon gave. Kim reportedly told investigators that when he said he would follow orders, Yoon flew into a rage.
The team has left open the possibility that Yoon's remarks were part of preliminary efforts to recruit senior military officials for his martial law bid, officials said.
A separate special counsel team that ended its mandate last year after probing Yoon had determined that martial law preparations took place before October 2023. That team cited a notebook belonging to a retired general convicted in connection with the martial law bid, Yonhap reported. A Seoul court, however, did not recognize the notebook as evidence during Yoon's insurrection trial.
Kim Myung-soo's Questioning
Kim Myung-soo appeared before special prosecutors for questioning over his alleged involvement in an insurrection related to Yoon's imposition of martial law, according to Yonhap. The second comprehensive special counsel team, led by Kwon Chang-young, began questioning Kim as a suspect on suspicion of performing key duties under the short-lived martial law imposed Dec. 3, 2024.
Kim, a retired admiral, is accused of taking part in the alleged insurrection by forming a martial law command even after watching the deployment of martial law troops to the National Assembly. Kwon's team views Kim's alleged issuance of a fragmentary order to the Army Special Warfare Command and the Capital Defense Command to prioritize martial law affairs as an act of complicity in insurrection.
The team reportedly found indications during questioning of Lee Seung-oh, former chief director of operations at the JCS, and others that subordinates had proposed withdrawing troops, and suspects Kim disregarded the proposal and failed to issue a separate withdrawal order.
Perspectives
Kim Myung-soo has denied the allegations. Speaking to reporters before entering the special counsel's office, he said he was not aware of Yoon's martial law in advance and that the JCS simply followed the established guidelines at that time, Yonhap reported.
The special counsel team, through its official statements, maintains that the evidence indicates Yoon's preparations began in late 2023 and that Kim's actions constituted complicity in insurrection.