The former first deputy director of the National Security Office, Kim Tae-hyo, was detained this Tuesday, December 10. He is suspected of having sent messages to allies, including the United States, with the aim of justifying the establishment of martial law during the state of emergency declared on December 3.
Kim Tae-hyo, who faces serious charges of involvement in insurrection-related activities, abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights, participated in a preliminary arrest hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, located in Seocho-gu, in the South Korean capital.
During the session, Judge Bu Dong-sik, responsible for arrest warrants related to the insurrection, conducted the analysis of the detention request. The magistrate issued the arrest warrant for Kim, citing a significant risk of destruction of evidence.
The accusation points out that the former deputy director had mobilized employees from the National Security Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Acting under instructions from former President Yoon Suk-yeol shortly after the declaration of martial law, Kim reportedly conveyed a message to several allies, including the United States, defending the legitimacy of the measure. The content of the communication allegedly included statements such as “maintaining a stance against pro-North leftists and anti-Americanism” and the permission to “hold political demonstrations within the limits of the Constitution”. There are also suspicions on the part of the special prosecutor that this message was delivered to then-president-elect Donald Trump.
