The special prosecutor Jo Eun-seok, tasked with investigating the alleged martial law declaration by former President Yoon Seok-yeol, concluded that the declaration was intended to eliminate political opposition from both the Democratic Party and figures like Han Dong-hoon from the People’s Power Party. The special prosecutor plans to announce the investigation results, including the motives and initial preparations for the martial law declaration, on the 15th.
The investigation, which began on June 18th and extended three times, concluded on the 14th, completing a six-month inquiry. It was determined that former President Yoon considered military deployment and martial law from around October 2023, following the promotion of former Army Chief of Staff Park An-soo to Martial Law Commander. The prosecutor also noted that in October and November of last year, Yoon attempted to incite a crisis by sending drones to the Pyongyang area, seeking justification for declaring martial law.
Several officials, including former National Intelligence Service Director Jo Tae-yong and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, were detained and prosecuted based on CCTV footage from presidential office meetings during martial law. However, arrest warrants for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Justice Minister Park Seong-jae were dismissed, leading to their indictment without detention. Additionally, an arrest warrant for Representative Choo Kyung-ho from the People’s Power Party, who was suspected of blocking a vote to lift martial law, was also dismissed, drawing criticism from the opposition for being an “excessive target investigation.”