Prosecution questions if that meant inducing North Korean attack to justify martial law
A note written by Lt. Gen. Yeo In-hyung, currently under investigation for his part in suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's alleged insurrection, contained what the prosecution has suspected are plots to induce attacks from North Korea to justify Yoon's Dec. 3 imposition of martial law, a local broadcaster reported.
JTBC recently reported the content of note that the prosecution had procured from Yeo's phone during its investigation of the former head of the Defense Counterintelligence Command. The note, written Nov. 5, said, "The enemy's actions must be first, and there must be a wartime situation, or a situation that police forces are unable to control."
The prosecution reportedly asked if this means inducing "the enemy" ― which in this case would mean North Korea ― to act first in a combat situation.
According to the report, Yeo said the enemy did refer to North Korea but that the note had been meant to oppose the president's martial law decree. He said that the enemy must move first in order for martial law to be declared.
In other parts of the note, Yeo, a three-star general, had assessed his superiors about whether or not they could play a significant rule in the martial law. This included his evaluation of Park An-su, the former Army chief of staff and the martial law commander during Yoon's short-lived Dec. 3-4 martial law period, whom the note said, "Cannot be trusted. Doesn't know anything. Puts his emotions first."
Yeo reportedly said that this note was also written to oppose martial law, depicting his suspicions that the Army chief of staff would blindly follow Yoon's orders.
Yeo and Park are among the military commanders under criminal investigation for their roles in the insurrection led allegedly by Yoon on Dec. 3. The suspended president himself is also being criminally investigated and tried for leading the insurrection and abuse of power, while on trial for impeachment.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
