Special Counsel Team Inspects Border Island Facility in Martial Law Probe

SEOUL — The special counsel team investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid has visited a Marine Corps detention facility on Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea to check allegations that preparations were made to detain political figures there, Yonhap reported on Wednesday.

The team's visit follows its announcement on Monday that it had found signs a military unit was preparing for martial law operations in the first half of 2024, months before Yoon's declaration on Dec. 3, 2024.

Inspection of Yeonpyeong Island Facility

The special counsel team traveled to the island on May 6 to inspect the Marine Corps facility. The probe stems from allegations connected to a notebook belonging to Noh Sang-won, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Command accused of involvement in martial law planning. In the notebook, Noh reportedly listed now President Lee Jae Myung and others as high-profile detention targets and mentioned Yeonpyeong Island as a location to hold them. The team believes the notes referred to the Marine Corps facility.

Early Preparation Signs

On Monday, assistant special counsel Kim Ji-mi said in a briefing that the team had confirmed signs the Defense Counterintelligence Command prepared for martial law since the first half of 2024. She did not elaborate on specific preparations. The findings support an earlier argument by special counsel Cho Eun-suk that Yoon had planned his martial law bid well before the December declaration.

In February, a district court sentenced Yoon to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection through his decree but ruled that he had decided to declare martial law only two days before. The court did not accept arguments that Yoon began planning before October 2023 with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. Cho's team has appealed the ruling, arguing the declaration was not a "spontaneous response."

The Defense Counterintelligence Command is accused of involvement in martial law operations on the night of Yoon's declaration, including allegedly attempting to send troops to the National Assembly and the national election watchdog.

The special counsel team, led by Kwon Chang-young, is tasked with investigating allegations surrounding the ousted former president, including aspects not fully covered by previous special counsels.