Ex-spy chief arrested over alleged martial law involvement
Published: 12 Nov. 2025, 08:45
![Cho Tae-yong, a former chief of the National Intelligence Service, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court on Nov. 11, to attend his arrest warrant hearing. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/12/90bf5a92-793b-4b3e-94f0-77431fd8182a.jpg)
Cho Tae-yong, a former chief of the National Intelligence Service, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court on Nov. 11, to attend his arrest warrant hearing. [YONHAP]
Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief Cho Tae-yong was arrested Wednesday on charges of involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law.
The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Cho after holding a hearing the previous day, citing concerns that the former NIS director could destroy evidence.
The warrant was requested by special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team on charges of NIS law violations, dereliction of duty, perjury, destruction of evidence, creation of false official documents and false testimony at parliament, all in connection with the Dec. 3, 2024 martial law declaration.
The former spy chief, who was known as a trusted confidant of Yoon, is accused of failing to report the martial law plan to the National Assembly even though he was aware of it prior to Yoon's televised address to the nation.
He is also accused of failing to report to the National Assembly after receiving a report that troops under martial law planned to detain then opposition leader Lee Jae Myung and then ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon.
The NIS Act obliges its director to report to the National Assembly, as well as to the president, if a situation that has a significant impact on national security arises.
In addition, the special counsel team believes Cho falsely testified at the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court by claiming that he did not see the martial law decree or other relevant documents at the presidential office and that he did not witness Cabinet members receiving the documents.
CCTV footage later showed Cabinet members receiving what appeared to be such documents at the presidential office, with Cho among those handling one of them.
The former NIS chief is the first member of the Yoon administration to be arrested over the martial law bid since former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min in August.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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