A former spy chief who led the intelligence agency during last year’s martial law declaration was arrested for dereliction of duty, a Seoul court said.
The arrest follows a request by special prosecutors for a warrant against Cho Tae-yong, former head of the National Intelligence Service, on charges that he ignored his duties as spy agency chief and posed a risk of destroying evidence, among other allegations.
The Seoul Central District Court reviewed the validity of the warrant Tuesday and granted it.
“The outcome of the review is ... the issuance of the warrant on the risk of evidence destruction,” the court said in a statement.
Prosecutors said Cho, a career diplomat who led the spy agency at the time of former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration in December, failed to report the move to parliament despite “understanding its illegality”.
He is also accused of making false statements.
“The possibility that he was involved in the insurrection has increased,” prosecutor Park Ji-young told reporters last week.
Cho’s arrest comes after prosecutors added another indictment against Yoon on charges of aiding the enemy, alleging he ordered drone flights over North Korea to bolster his martial law plan.
North Korea said last year it had “proved” the South flew drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang, an act Seoul’s military has not confirmed.
Park said Monday her team had “filed charges of benefiting the enemy in general and of abuse of power” against the former president.
Yoon plunged South Korea into political crisis when he sought to subvert civilian rule in December, sending armed soldiers to parliament in a bid to stop lawmakers voting down his martial law declaration.
The effort failed, and Yoon was detained in a dawn raid in January, becoming South Korea’s first sitting president to be taken into custody.
Yoon remains on trial for insurrection and other offences linked to his martial law declaration.
His wife, Kim Keon-hee, is also in custody and standing trial on corruption charges, including stock manipulation -- marking the first time a former first couple has been detained. — AFP
