Seoul: South Korea's special counsel announced that ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol began preparing for his martial law decree as early as October 2023, more than a year before its implementation on December 3, 2024. According to Anadolu Agency, the special counsel, led by Eun-suk Cho, concluded a 180-day investigation revealing that Yoon had considered imposing martial law since he took office in 2022.
"We have confirmed Yoon, Kim, and former Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung conducted abnormal military operations in October 2024 to provoke military actions from the North to justify the emergency martial law," stated Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk. The investigation indicted 27 individuals, including former members of Yoon's Cabinet, for their roles in the attempted martial law imposition.
The ousted president had previously been indicted on charges of leading an insurrection and abuse of power. Additional charges of obstruction of justice, aiding an enemy, and perjury were added after the special counsel team was established. The investigation found that Yoon declared martial law to suspend political and National Assembly activities, seize control of legislative and judicial powers, and eliminate opposition to maintain power.
Assistant Special Counsel Park Ji-young suggested that Yoon believed monopolizing power would resolve court-related risks for himself and his wife. In a separate development, South Korean police named Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja as a suspect in a bribery probe, implicating politicians from both ruling and opposition parties. Han is on trial for allegedly bribing politicians and violating the Political Funds Act.
A South Korean court sentenced retired Army Maj. Gen. Noh Sang-won to two years in prison for collecting personal information of military intelligence officers related to the martial law decree, marking the first sentence among the special counsel cases. The National Assembly overturned the martial law within six hours of its declaration, leading to Yoon's impeachment and suspension on December 14. Yoon was arrested for leading an insurrection in January, released in March, re-arrested in July, and remains detained. The Constitutional Court formally removed him from office in April.