The special investigation team, led by Jo Eun-seok, is investigating allegations related to a possible state of emergency announced on December 3rd due to ‘foreign exchange suspicions.’ The team has brought major suspects, including former President Yoon Suk-yeol, to trial.
Today (10th), the special investigation team announced that former President Yoon, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and former Military Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung have been indicted on charges of general treason and abuse of authority, obstructing the exercise of rights.
Kim Yong-dae, Commander of Drone Operations, has also been indicted without detention on charges of obstructing the execution of public duties through deceit and instructing the creation of false official documents.
Initially, there were discussions about applying foreign collusion charges under the criminal law; however, the special investigation team decided not to apply these charges, which require evidence of collusion with enemy states. Instead, they applied charges of general treason.
The charge of general treason can be applied in cases where actions harm South Korea’s military interests or provide military benefits to enemy states, without the need for collusion.
Former President Yoon and others are accused of deploying drones to Pyongyang around October last year to create a justification for declaring a state of emergency by provoking North Korea militarily.
The special investigation team believes the general treason charge applies, as the drone crash near Pyongyang led to the leakage of military secrets, including operations and strategies.
Throughout the investigation, the team has called in military officials multiple times to examine the full scope from operation preparation to the execution phase, and to understand the decision-making process.
Last month, they summoned former President Yoon as a suspect for questioning. While Yoon largely exercised his right to remain silent, he reportedly denied some of the charges.
Considering the nature of military operations and national security, the special investigation team carefully selected the scope and subjects for indictment to a limited extent.
As a result, junior officers and other ranks were excluded from this prosecution.
The special investigation team plans to conclude the ‘foreign exchange suspicion’ investigation with this case and focus on uncovering the truth behind the remaining ‘insurrection suspicion’ for the rest of the investigation period.