FORMER president Yoon Suk-yeol tried to provoke North Korea into mounting an armed aggression to create justification for the December 2024 martial law declaration and to eliminate political opponents, a special prosecutor said.
The special prosecutor, Cho Eun-seok, told a briefing yesterday that his team had indicted 24 people, including Yoon and five Cabinet members, for their alleged involvement during his six-month investigation on insurrection charges.
“We know well from historic experience that the justification given by those in power for a coup is only a facade and the sole purpose is to monopolise and maintain power,” Cho said.
His team confirmed an elaborate scheme allegedly masterminded by Yoon and his defence minister, going back to October 2023 to suspend parliament powers and replace it with an emergency legislative body.
“To create justification for declaring martial law, they tried to lure North Korea into mounting an armed aggression but failed as North Korea did not respond militarily,” Cho added.
The special prosecutor’s team has previously accused Yoon and his military commanders of ordering a covert drone operation into the North to inflame tensions between the neighbours.
Yoon then conspired to brand those who are politically against him, including the then-leader of his conservative People Power Party, as anti-state forces and declared martial law when he had no justification, Cho said.
Cho was among three special prosecutors appointed after President Lee Jae-myung was elected president in a snap election called after Yoon’s removal by the Constitutional Court in April.
Yoon is on trial for insurrection, which on conviction is punishable by life in prison or even the death penalty. — Reuters
