South Korean probe says ousted President Yoon plotted martial law for over a year

A South Korean special counsel has alleged that former President Yoon Suk Yeol initiated planning for a martial law decree over a year before its declaration in December 2024, with the ultimate goal of monopolizing state power. According to the findings presented on Monday, Yoon and key associates began preparations as early as October 2023, culminating in the country's first martial law declaration in four decades.

Allegations of fabricating a North Korean threat

Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk stated the investigation confirmed that Yoon, along with former aides, conducted "abnormal military operations" in October 2024 intended to "induce military actions from the North to acquire justification for the emergency martial law." The plan allegedly sought to use a manufactured external threat to legitimize the suspension of the National Assembly and seizure of legislative and judicial powers.

Indictments and charges against Yoon

The special counsel team has indicted 27 individuals, including former cabinet members, over the short-lived martial law bid. Yoon himself faces a series of charges, including leading an insurrection, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and aiding an enemy. Assistant Special Counsel Park Ji-young stated the "main purpose of martial law was the monopolization of power, to do anything he wanted to do," which they believe included resolving legal risks for himself and his wife.

Related developments and Yoon's current status

In a related development, South Korean police named Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja as a suspect in a political bribery probe. Separately, a retired army major general received a two-year prison sentence for collecting military intelligence officers' personal information in connection with the martial law plot. Yoon was impeached and suspended in December 2024, formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April, and remains in detention after multiple arrests.