▲ Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Myung-soo arrives for questioning by the Special Counsel.
The second comprehensive special counsel team, led by Kwon Chang-young, which is investigating remaining allegations following the third special counsel probe, has re-summoned former Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Kim Myung-soo over his suspected involvement in an insurrection.
The special counsel team has been questioning Kim as a suspect since 9:30 a.m. today (July 1) on charges including engaging in important duties related to insurrection.
This marks the third time the comprehensive special counsel team has summoned the former JCS chairman for questioning.
Kim is accused of participating in an insurrection during the declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024. He allegedly monitored the situation from the JCS command and control center as military forces were deployed to the National Assembly and other locations, yet failed to intervene and instead participated in the formation of the Martial Law Command.
The special counsel team believes that Kim, who held operational command authority, was aware of the illegality of the martial law declaration and the subsequent deployment of troops to the National Assembly but failed to take appropriate action.
In contrast, Kim has consistently denied all charges, arguing that the Minister of National Defense directly commanded and controlled the martial law troops from the moment the declaration was made, and that he was excluded from the decision-making process, leaving him unable to exercise command authority over the troops.
The special counsel team is considering indicting Kim alongside former JCS Vice Chairman Jeong Jin-pal, former JCS Combat Readiness Inspection Chief Lee Jae-sik, and former Army Headquarters Policy Office Chief Kim Heung-jun—all of whom were taken into custody on June 15—within this week.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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