Army chief, military officials indicted over martial law in S Korea

Two military officials, including the army chief, were indicted on Friday for their involvement in the brief imposition of martial law in South Korea after being arrested and investigated by prosecutors, according to the state-run news agency.

Army Chief of Staff Gen Park An-su, who served as martial law commander, and Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, and Lt Gen Kwak Jong-Keun, chief of the Army Special Warfare Command, were indicted on charges of 'insurrection and abuse of power.'

According to prosecutors, Gen Park issued the martial law notification on December 3, which was later declared "unconstitutional" for imposing a ban on political activity.

Lt Gen Kwak was indicted for mobilizing special operations forces to the National Assembly under instructions from President Yoon Suk-yeol. The goal was to secure the building and prevent lawmakers from passing a motion to reject the martial law declaration.

The prosecutor argued that these actions were intended to undermine the constitution, leading to charges of insurrection.

Earlier, two senior South Korean military officials, Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo and Defense Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung, were indicted for their roles in President Yoon's failed attempt to impose martial law, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

Lee Jin-woo is accused of deploying troops to the National Assembly on December 3 and ordering the arrest of 14 individuals, including opposition leaders. Meanwhile, Yeo In-hyung is charged with directing troops to parliament and instructing the police commissioner to arrest lawmakers.

Prosecutors have stated that these officers face charges of inciting insurrection to overturn the constitutional order. This development follows a parliamentary vote of 191-71 to form a special committee to investigate the legality of Yoon's martial law declaration and the roles of the military and police.

The investigation is expected to conclude by February 13, 2025, with a ruling from the Constitutional Court anticipated by June 11, 2025. During this period, President Yoon will be suspended from office and barred from leaving the country, with an interim president assuming leadership until a final decision is made.