Officials summoned for questioning as martial law probe continues over weekend

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Officials summoned for questioning as martial law probe continues over weekend

Published: 22 Dec. 2024, 18:16

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A person watches President Yoon Suk Yeol's televised public address in a waiting room at Seoul Station in Jung District, central Seoul, on Dec. 12. [NEWS1]

Investigations into officials related to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law continued over the weekend after the joint investigation headquarters summoned the impeached president for questioning on Wednesday.

The joint investigation headquarters is a multiagency task force comprising the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO), the National Police Agency and the Ministry of National Defense.

On Sunday, the CIO summoned Moon Sang-ho, chief of the Defense Intelligence Command, for questioning, marking his first appearance since his formal arrest on Friday. Moon is accused of deploying intelligence personnel to the National Election Commission (NEC) in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, following Yoon’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 3.

He is also under suspicion of meeting Noh Sang-won, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Command, along with two subordinates, at a fast food restaurant in Ansan, Gyeonggi, on Dec. 1 to discuss issues related to martial law, such as plans to seize NEC servers.

Moon Sang-ho, chief of the Defense Intelligence Command, appears for an arrest warrant hearing at a military court in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Dec. 20. [NEWS1]

Probes into Cabinet members also expanded.

On Saturday, prosecutors questioned Land Minister Park Sang-woo as a witness, reportedly focusing on details of a Cabinet meeting held on Dec. 4 to discuss lifting martial law. Park did not attend the Cabinet meeting convened immediately before the martial law declaration.

Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok, who said he “strongly opposed” the declaration during the Dec. 3 Cabinet meeting, was also questioned by prosecutors on Friday.

National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong was reported on Sunday to have been privately investigated by prosecutions recently, regarding his attendance at the Dec. 3 Cabinet meeting prior to the martial law declaration.

Although not a Cabinet member, Cho attended the meeting under a statute allowing high-ranking officials to participate with approval from the chair. His presence is widely believed to be connected to the president’s justification of martial law as necessary to “protect the Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces.”

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho attends a Cabinet meeting held at the government complex in central Seoul on Dec. 3. [YONHAP]

The police also questioned Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho for six hours on Saturday. Kim, one of 12 attendees at the Dec. 3 Cabinet meeting, did not attend the subsequent Cabinet meeting on Dec. 4 to discuss lifting martial law.

Meanwhile, despite the prosecution’s decision to transfer its investigation of Yoon and former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min to the CIO, the cases have not yet been fully referred. Both sides are reportedly coordinating on the scope of records to be shared.

The joint investigation headquarters summoned Yoon, who fully denies the charges of insurrection, for questioning on Wednesday. Yoon claims that the declaration of martial law is a political matter that should not be subject to judicial review.

As such, authorities are focusing their investigation on whether Yoon ordered the military and police to intervene with constitutional institutions such as the National Assembly and the NEC, potentially disrupting the constitutional order.

Yoon has been asked to appear for questioning by the CIO at the government complex in Gwacheon at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The subpoena was sent to three locations, including the presidential office and the official residence, and is expected to arrive by Monday. According to local media reports, the electronic version of the subpoena has not yet been read.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]