South Korea: Counterintelligence chief questioned over martial law attempt

South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday, December 10, summoned the chief of the military's counterintelligence command for questioning over his alleged role in last week's failed bid to declare martial law.

The inquiry is part of an ongoing investigation into the controversial move that has drawn widespread criticism and raised concerns about potential abuses of power within the military.

The special investigation team handling the martial law case brought Yeo In-hyung, the commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC), to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office for an interrogation, Yonhap news agency reported.

Yeo is suspected of sending troops into the National Assembly to arrest key opposition party lawmakers and to the National Election Commission, when President Yoon Suk Yeol abruptly declared martial law last Tuesday night. Yeo was suspended from his duties last week.

The Korea Herald reported that South Korean authorities are intensifying their investigation into last week’s botched martial law declaration, with prosecutors summoning Yeo, the suspended chief of the military’s counterintelligence command, for questioning.

Yeo, who was removed from his post last week, has denied allegations that the Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC) played a role in planning the controversial move.

Former Interior Minister Lee also stepped down on Sunday amid mounting scrutiny over the incident. Earlier on Tuesday, prosecutors, accompanied by military investigators, conducted a raid on the DCC headquarters in Gwacheon, south of Seoul.

The raid, authorised by a military court, targeted the offices and residences of Yeo and other senior officials, as well as DCC branch offices in Seoul and other locations across the country.

The investigation follows the sudden declaration of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol last Tuesday, which was rescinded hours later after the National Assembly called for its termination. The DCC is alleged to have been a key player in the fiasco, reportedly deploying personnel to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission.

Opposition lawmakers have accused the DCC of drafting a martial law decree last month under Yeo’s orders and staging an alleged drone infiltration into Pyongyang at the direction of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.

Yeo has rejected the accusations, insisting that the DCC was unaware of any plans for martial law in advance. “I will take full responsibility for all the actions I took as a commander,” he said in a statement, pledging to cooperate fully with the investigation.