Cho Tae-yong, a former director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of the Republic of Korea, along with five former political appointees of the agency, have been arrested on charges of being implicated in an insurrection tied to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law. A special prosecutor’s team made the announcement official on Monday.
The six individuals, including former deputy director of the service Hong Jang-won, are accused of carrying out key duties directly linked to the alleged insurrection. That finding comes from a report drawn up by the special prosecutor’s task force led by Kwon Chang-yon. As a deputy special prosecutor, Kim Ji-mi, told reporters during a briefing, investigators carried out a search of NIS headquarters last month and questioned around 40 officials. During the search, it came to light that Cho had been calling meetings of political appointees and department heads at the NIS after meeting with Yoon.
According to the investigation, the special prosecutor’s team has turned up signs that the NIS reached out to U.S. intelligence agencies after Yoon declared martial law on December 3, 2024, in order to get across a message justifying that emergency measure. Cho Tae-yong has been held in custody since his arrest and indictment back in November. He is accused of failing to carry out his duties – specifically, of not notifying the National Assembly ahead of time about the plan to impose martial law.
Separately, as part of a related investigation, searches were carried out last month at the home and office of Kim Tae-hyo, a former deputy chief of the National Security Office. He is suspected of having worked through the foreign ministry to spell out the legality of martial law to key allies. Kim again appeared before investigators as a suspect on Monday, after being questioned this past Friday.