Former National Security Office Deputy Chief Kim Tae-hyo Arrested for Justifying Martial Law

Court Cites "Concerns Over the Destruction of Evidence"

Kim Tae-hyo, former First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, has been arrested on charges of delivering messages to allied nations justifying the imposition of the 12·3 Martial Law immediately after it was declared.

Kim Tae-hyo, former First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, is appearing at the office of the Second Comprehensive Special Investigation Team led by Kwon Chang-young, located in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 10th, Judge Budongsik, who is in charge of handling warrants for insurrection at the Seoul Central District Court, conducted a pretrial detention review for Kim and issued an arrest warrant, citing "concerns over the destruction of evidence."

The Second Special Comprehensive Investigation Team led by Kwon Chang-young had previously requested the arrest warrant, judging that Kim, after receiving instructions from former President Yoon Suk-yeol immediately following the declaration of martial law in December 2024, mobilized Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials to send messages to allied countries such as the United States to justify the martial law.

The messages at that time reportedly included phrases such as "This measure is to safeguard liberal democracy" and "(Martial law) is a political demonstration conducted within the constitutional framework."

The special investigation team has been conducting related investigations, including searches of Kim's home and university research office in April, based on the belief that former President Yoon, immediately after declaring martial law, instructed former National Security Office Chief Shin Won-sik and Kim to explain the background of the declaration.

The investigation period for the special counsel team is set until the 24th, but a bill to amend the special counsel law to extend the investigation period by 30 days is currently pending in the National Assembly.

If the special counsel law fails to pass the National Assembly plenary session, the investigation will have to be concluded before Kim reaches the maximum detention period of 20 days.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.