Testimony of Cho Tae-yong, NIS Director, Disadvantageous to President Yoon [AK Radio]

"Aide Confirmed to Have Transcribed 'Hong Jangwon Memo'"
"No Deliberation or Support for Martial Law at the Meeting That Day"
President Yoon's Statements Contradict Those of Former Minister Lee Sangmin and Others

The Constitutional Court has scheduled the 9th hearing for President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial on the 18th. Starting at 2 p.m. on the 18th, the court plans to conduct a written evidence investigation and listen to statements from both the National Assembly side and President Yoon's side for two hours each. The verdict is expected to be delivered around the 10th of next month.

Meanwhile, the testimony given by Cho Tae-yong, the Director of the National Intelligence Service, during the 8th hearing yesterday is likely to work against President Yoon in the impeachment trial, which examines whether the president violated the Constitution and laws. First, there is the question of why President Yoon called former Deputy Director Hong instead of Director Cho on the day of martial law. Director Cho testified that when he spoke with President Yoon around 8 p.m. on December 3 last year, he informed the president that he was in the country. He said, "The business trip is tomorrow, but today I am here." According to Director Cho's testimony, President Yoon was aware that Director Cho was in the country when he spoke with former Deputy Director Hong around 8:22 p.m. This directly contradicts President Yoon's previous explanation that "he thought Director Cho was in the United States, so he called former Deputy Director Hong to stand by (not related to martial law)." This inconsistency in statements deepens the doubts about the situation at that time.

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On the other hand, former Deputy Director Hong offered a different explanation for why the president called him directly. In a JTBC interview, former Deputy Director Hong claimed that on November 29, 2023, when former Jogye Order Chief Abbot Ja-seung passed away, the president checked the National Intelligence Service's response capability and believed that the agency was mobilized. At that time, about 70 NIS agents were deployed around the site investigating anti-government suspicions, and the information reported during this process influenced the president's decision to call him directly.

Notably, Director Cho acknowledged that former Deputy Director Hong's aide transcribed the contents of a Post-it note listing the names of arrest targets, including Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party, and Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, on the night of December 3 last year. This is considered important evidence confirming the existence of the arrest list on that day. Former Deputy Director Hong explained during his testimony at the Constitutional Court on the 4th that he hurriedly took notes at the time and later had his aide transcribe them in the office, a statement supported by Director Cho's testimony yesterday.

Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Intelligence Service, is attending and testifying at the 8th hearing of the Constitutional Court on the 13th.

Regarding the controversy over the location where the memo was written, former Deputy Director Hong rebutted by stating that since the National Intelligence Service was aware of his entire movements at the time, revealing this information would uncover the truth. Although there may be slight differences in timing, the NIS director's official residence and office are 3 to 4 minutes apart by car, making it possible to verify the timeline of movements. Former Deputy Director Hong demanded the disclosure of his entire movement route, not just specific time periods, showing confidence in his testimony.

There was also important testimony about the nature of the meeting held at the Presidential Office on the night of December 3 last year. Director Cho testified, "There was no deliberation, and no one supported martial law." This directly contradicts the claims of President Yoon and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min that the meeting was a normal Cabinet meeting with intense debate. Director Cho clearly stated that he never received a martial law proclamation document from former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, and that the A4 paper related to power and water cuts at the Fire Agency mentioned by former Minister Lee was not on the table at the time.

Former National Intelligence Service First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won testified at the Constitutional Court on the 4th that President Yoon Seok-yeol made a phone call saying "Arrest them all."

During the 8th hearing, Cho Sung-hyun, commander of the 1st Security Group of the Capital Defense Command, testified as a witness that he received a clear order from Lee Jin-woo, commander of the Capital Defense Command, to "enter the National Assembly and pull out the members of the National Assembly." This aligns with the testimonies of former investigation chief Kim Dae-woo of the Military Counterintelligence Command and Gu Min-hoe, head of the Counterintelligence Investigation Coordination Division, who said they received arrest orders for 14 politicians from Commander Yeo In-hyung of the Counterintelligence Command. It also connects with Director Cho's testimony that "the aide transcribed the Post-it memo."

In the impeachment trial, which examines violations of the Constitution and laws, details such as the location and timing of former Deputy Director Hong's memo writing can be considered secondary. Rather, the existence of the arrest list and the clarification of the nature of the December 3, 2023 meeting are crucial, and Director Cho's testimony is expected to work against President Yoon.