Cho Eunseok's Special Prosecutor Team Summons Key Military Figures
Focuses on Alleged "Pyongyang Drone Deployment" as Justification for Martial Law
On August 17, the special prosecutor team led by Cho Eunseok, which is investigating allegations of insurrection and treason related to the December 3 Martial Law, summoned Kim Yongdae, Commander of the Drone Operations Command and a key suspect in the so-called "Pyongyang drone allegations," for another round of questioning. Lee Seungoh, Director of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has also been named a suspect, was summoned on the same day.
Starting at 10 a.m. on the same day, the special prosecutor team began questioning Commander Kim in his capacity as a suspect. This comes just three days after a previous "marathon interrogation" that lasted approximately 12 hours on August 14. Commander Kim is considered the "key man" in the foreign exchange and pro-North activities allegations related to the Pyongyang drone operation.
The special prosecutor team is investigating whether former President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the Drone Operations Command to deploy drones over Pyongyang around October of last year in order to create a justification for declaring martial law. There are allegations that the planning and preparation stages of the operation bypassed the normal chain of command, specifically the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-a so-called "Joint Chiefs bypass." It has also been alleged that Kim Yonghyun, then Chief of Presidential Security and a key aide to former President Yoon, was involved in this process.
It has also come to light that around June of last year, during the planning phase of the operation, Chief Kim contacted several key military officials via secure phone to inquire about the drone operation. The special prosecutor team believes that if Kim, who was a civilian at the time, was involved in and received reports on the drone operation outside the military chain of command, this alone could constitute a legal violation, and is continuing its investigation on that basis.
The special prosecutor team is also questioning Director Lee as a suspect on the same day. They are reportedly verifying whether the drone infiltration operation was conducted within the normal chain of command and whether it was reported to Kim Myungsoo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. There is also speculation that a face-to-face interrogation may have taken place between Director Lee and Commander Kim, who were summoned together.
The special prosecutor team is also investigating allegations that the military acted in an organized manner to cover up the operation after it was carried out.
Additionally, on the same day, the special prosecutor team summoned Noh Sangwon, former Commander of the Defense Intelligence Command, as a witness. They are believed to have questioned him about previously raised suspicions of "third-party abetment of insurrection" and a note in his notebook referencing "inducing North Wind." Park Hyunsu, Acting Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and former head of the Police Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety during the martial law period, was also questioned as a witness in the afternoon. The investigation covers allegations such as the suspected cutoff of electricity and water to media outlets and the deployment of police to the National Assembly.
On August 18, the special prosecutor team is scheduled to summon Lee Sangmin, former Minister of the Interior and Safety, who has been detained on charges including participation in key insurrection-related duties. As the minister in charge of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which oversees martial law during peacetime, Lee is accused of aiding and abetting the illegal declaration of martial law, relaying orders to cut off electricity and water to media outlets to the National Police Agency and the National Fire Agency, and sequentially participating in former President Yoon's insurrection crimes. Lee's detention period is set to expire around August 21. Since Lee has denied all charges, there is speculation that he may be indicted immediately without further questioning.
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