SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - The impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to accelerate investigations into the December 3 martial law declaration, an event widely condemned by legal experts as unconstitutional and illegal at every stage.
The prosecution’s special probe team, led by Park Se-hyun, has intensified efforts to reconstruct the full sequence of events surrounding the martial law. Investigators are focusing on how troops were deployed to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission on the night of Dec. 3, as well as efforts to detain prominent political figures.
Kim Yong-hyun, the former defense minister who is accused of proposing the emergency decree and orchestrating its execution, was arrested on Dec. 10 on charges of insurrection and abuse of power. Yeo In-hyung, the former head of the Defense Security Command, was also detained on Dec. 14, while Lee Jin-woo, former commander of the Capital Defense Command, was taken into custody for ordering the deployment of soldiers to the National Assembly.
The inquiry has centered on directives to detain opposition politicians, with President Yoon claiming the declaration was intended as a “warning to the opposition.” However, orders to apprehend individuals such as National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and other party leaders suggest a broader objective to disrupt legislative authority.
The military’s failure to seize the National Assembly before lawmakers could vote to rescind martial law has been attributed to operational setbacks. Delays in helicopter permissions, civilian protesters blocking military access, and reported noncompliance by soldiers on the ground are seen as key factors in the plan’s collapse.
Prosecutors have reportedly uncovered evidence that Yeo In-hyung ordered the detention of 14 political figures, including opposition leaders, immediately after martial law was declared. The individuals were to be held at a detention facility under the Capital Defense Command. Allegations have also emerged that an arrest list included Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, and a judge who had ruled against a perjury charge linked to Lee.
At the center of the investigation is Yoon himself, who prosecutors view as the mastermind of the martial law. Yoon is alleged to have rationalized the decree by claiming the National Assembly was a “den of criminals.” Evidence reportedly shows that he issued direct orders for the arrest of lawmakers and supervised military operations to execute the plan.
On the night of December 3, Yoon is said to have made six encrypted phone calls to National Police Agency chief Jo Ji-ho to coordinate the detention of political leaders. He also allegedly handed written orders to key officials, including Seoul’s police chief, and made personal calls to military commanders to monitor the progress of troop movements toward the National Assembly.
As Yoon faces mounting scrutiny, calls for his immediate arrest have grown louder. While South Korean presidents are constitutionally granted immunity from criminal prosecution during their tenure, exceptions exist for charges of insurrection, enabling investigators to proceed with both an inquiry and potential indictment.
Sources from the prosecution said, for investigators, the choice now is whether to summon Yoon for questioning before seeking an arrest warrant or to move directly to detention. Either way, this marks an unprecedented and disgraceful moment in South Korea’s history.
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