Former Joint Chiefs figures, including ex-Joint Chiefs chair Kim Myung‑soo, booked en masse and barred from leaving the country
Accused of aiding or abetting after allegedly being aware of troop deployments to the National Assembly during the Dec. 3 martial law declaration
The special prosecutor's office has received roughly 20 police cases for review and will continue building its staff
[Asia Times=Reporter Park Yodon] The second comprehensive special prosecutor team led by Kwon Chang‑young has opened a full-scale investigation, filing insurrection-related charges against former Joint Chiefs chair Kim Myung‑soo and several other former Joint Chiefs officials. Observers say the office has targeted the former military leadership as its first formally recognized case since it launched.
At an afternoon briefing on the 11th, Deputy Special Prosecutor Kim Ji‑mi said the team has charged Joint Chiefs officials with participating in key insurrection duties and has placed travel bans on the suspects. She added the office plans to question related individuals as witnesses in the coming days.
The office has reportedly filed mass charges against several senior figures, including former Chairman Kim, former Vice Chief Jeong Jin‑pal, former Director of Military Support Kang Dong‑gil, and former Operations Headquarters chief Lee Seung‑o.
Prosecutors allege that after the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, these officials were aware that troops would be deployed to the National Assembly and nonetheless took steps to organize a martial law command, amounting to participation in or assistance to an insurrection.
The special prosecutor is also considering applying a military penal code provision that holds commanders strictly accountable when they knowingly leave subordinates' crimes unchecked.
The team has received about 20 cases from the police and is reviewing them. Investigative resources will be focused on 17 allegations, including suspicions around the planning and preparation of martial law, allegations of inducing North Korean provocations (related foreign exchange offenses), alleged preferential highway route changes in Yangpyeong benefiting Kim Keon‑hee, alleged interference in the relocation of the presidential office and residence, and accusations of quashing the probe into Deutsche Motors stock manipulation.
The special prosecutor's office officially launched on the 25th of last month after a 20‑day preparation period. So far, 112 staff members, including five prosecutors, have been dispatched and 17 special investigators hired, but the full investigative team is not yet complete.
Kim stressed the office will request additional personnel and continue recruiting to fill remaining positions.
