Yoon Suk Yeol’s former spy chief has been detained on charges of concealing evidence as prosecutors accused him of being aware of the former president’s plan to impose martial law but not reporting it to parliament.
Cho Tae Yong, who led South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency till Mr Yoon’s removal from office, was taken into custody on Wednesday after the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant.
The warrant was issued over suspected dereliction of duty, perjury, destruction of evidence, creation of false official documents, and false testimony at parliament, in connection with the 3 December martial law declaration by Mr Yoon, Yonhap reported.
Prosecutors said Mr Cho was aware of former president Mr Yoon’s plan to impose martial law in advance. However, Mr Cho denied all of the charges against him at a hearing for the warrant on Tuesday.
He was also accused of failing to report to the National Assembly after receiving a report that troops planned to detain then-opposition leader Lee Jae Myung and then ruling party leader Han Dong Hoon.
Under the laws, the director of NIS is obliged to report to the National Assembly, as well as to the president, in situations expected to have an impact on national security.
In addition, the special counsel team alleges that Mr Cho gave false testimony before the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court by claiming he had not seen the martial law decree or related documents at the presidential office, nor witnessed Cabinet members receiving them.
However, CCTV footage later showed cabinet members at the presidential office receiving what appeared to be those documents, with Mr Cho seen handling one of them.
Mr Yoon stunned the world in December 2024 after he imposed the martial law decree in an unprecedented decision that lasted for four hours. Troops and military assets were mobilised to surround the National Assembly of South Korea, but the move collapsed within hours after the assembly voted overwhelmingly to rescind the decree and the president’s administration reversed the declaration
The fallout extended into 2025. Mr Yoon became the country’s first sitting president to be detained in July. He was also impeached by the National Assembly and suspended from office, a decision later upheld by the constitutional court.
On Wednesday, former prime minister Hwang Kyo ahn was also arrested for allegedly endorsing Mr Yoon’s martial law plot and supporting the arrest of lawmakers at that time.
Mr Hwang briefly served as an acting president after the impeachment of former leader Park Geun hye in 2016.
