CIO, police and Defense Ministry announce joint investigation into Yoon

Home > National > Politics

CIO, police and Defense Ministry announce joint investigation into Yoon

Published: 11 Dec. 2024, 19:23 Updated: 11 Dec. 2024, 21:24

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho speaks during a parliamentary committee meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday. [YONHAP]

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO), police and the Defense Ministry announced Wednesday that they would conduct a joint investigation into President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.

The joint investigative headquarters — formed to "minimize confusion and inefficiency caused by overlapping investigations" — was established as the police, prosecution and the CIO have been conducting separate probes into Yoon’s treason charges.

The announcement also came after the prosecution on the same day turned down the CIO’s request to transfer its investigation to the agency, instead suggesting a meeting with the CIO and police to reassess whether the request was legal.

On Wednesday, the police and prosecution conducted separate investigations, each carrying out summonses and raids as part of the martial law probe.

The police's National Office of Investigation (NOI) raided the National Police Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and National Assembly Police Guards after they detained their own chiefs — National Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho and Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong-sik — under emergency arrests. This marks the first time police arrested the national police and Seoul police chiefs.

Cho and Kim, accused of ordering police officers to block the National Assembly's entrance to prevent lawmakers from passing a resolution against martial law, were taken into custody at 3:49 a.m. Wednesday at the Namdaemun Police Station in central Seoul. Investigators are conducting digital forensic analysis of their phones and reviewing radio communications from the Seoul police during the martial law crisis.

The emergency arrests — made without warrants in urgent cases involving serious charges, particularly where suspects are deemed flight risks or likely to tamper with evidence — came after hours of interrogations, where Cho was questioned for 11 hours and Kim for 10 hours on Tuesday.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Kim Bong-sik speaks during his inauguration ceremony at the SMPA building in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Aug. 16. [YONHAP]

Following their arrests, the National Police Agency implemented a substitute working system, with Deputy Commissioner Lee Ho-young filling in for Cho and Choi Hyun-seok, the deputy chief of life safety at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, temporarily assuming Kim’s role.

“We take the current situation very seriously and deeply apologize to the public,” the National Police Agency said in a statement. “Led by the NOI, we will thoroughly investigate the martial law crisis to ensure no suspicions remain.”

Later Wednesday, the police summoned Cho and Kim for additional questioning.

On the same day, the police also attempted to raid the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) headquarters, where the martial law command was reportedly established, as part of their investigation into Yoon’s treason allegations.

However, the raid, which began around 3 p.m., ended after around 40 minutes as they were required to receive approval from the JCS for the raid. Articles 110 and 111 of the Criminal Procedures Act prohibit raids without the consent of the person in charge of a location that deals with military or official secrets.

Meanwhile, the prosecution’s Special Investigation Headquarters expanded its investigation after a court issued an arrest warrant for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on treason charges. The court concluded that the prosecutors are eligible to investigate those accused of treason charges based on the Prosecutors’ Office Act, which allows them to probe “crimes committed by a police official and a public official of the CIO and crimes “directly related to crimes recognized” in connection to the aforementioned officials.

On Wednesday, the prosecutors also raided the Army Special Warfare Command headquarters. The command’s soldiers had been deployed to the National Assembly compound during the declaration of martial law and were allegedly ordered to arrest key politicians. Some of their armed officers were also sent to the National Election Committee building immediately after the martial law declaration.

Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun of the Army Special Warfare Command speaks during a parliamentary defense committee meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

For the third consecutive day, prosecutors searched the headquarters of the Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC). They also summoned Brig. Gen. Jeong Seong-woo, chief of the DCC’s first division, for questioning.

Additionally, prosecutors raided the residence of Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun of the Army Special Warfare Command on Wednesday, largely to seize a secure phone he used to communicate with Yoon twice immediately after the martial law declaration.

During a parliamentary defense committee meeting on Tuesday, Kwak said that Yoon had personally called him on the secure phone, which he said was returned to the command following his suspension.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]