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Special Counsel Finds Ex-President Yoon Planned Martial Law From 2023, Sought North Korea Provocation

The special counsel referred 24 defendants to trial after a six-month probe.

Overview

  • Announcing final results, Special Counsel Cho Eun-seok said his team indicted 24 people, including Yoon and five cabinet members, with a total of 27 indictments when coordinated military prosecutions are counted, and courts approved five of 11 arrest requests.
  • Prosecutors allege Yoon ordered covert drone flights into North Korean airspace to trigger a military response, leading to an added charge of aiding the enemy after earlier insurrection and abuse-of-power indictments.
  • The findings state the plan sought to shut down parliamentary activity, replace it with an emergency legislative body, and label political opponents as anti-state forces to consolidate power.
  • Investigators say Yoon tried to cast the April 2024 general election as fraudulent and plotted actions against election authorities during the brief martial law decree.
  • Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun received an additional indictment for leaking personal data on more than 40 Defense Intelligence Command personnel, as multiple senior officials continue to face related trials.