Former First Deputy Chief of the National Security Office Kim Tae-hyo, who is suspected of transmitting messages justifying the martial law to allied nations during the December 3 emergency martial law, has been indicted while in custody.

The secondary comprehensive independent counsel team led by Kwon Chang-young announced today (July 29) that it has indicted former Deputy Chief Kim under charges of engaging in key duties of an insurrection and abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights.

Former Deputy Chief Kim is suspected of promoting the legitimacy of the martial law to major allied nations including the United States via diplomatic officials immediately after the declaration of emergency martial law.

The messages at the time reportedly included contents such as, "This measure is to protect liberal democracy," and "It was a political demonstration within the boundaries of the Constitution in response to the National Assembly attempting to paralyze the executive branch through impeachment motions and budget cuts and plotting the substantive destruction of the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea.

President Yoon Suk Yeol maintains a stance to oppose pro-North Korean leftists and anti-Americanism."

The independent counsel team suspects that former President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed former Deputy Chief Kim and former National Security Office Chief Shin Won-sik to explain the background of the martial law declaration immediately after it was proclaimed.

Accordingly, the team has continued its investigation, including conducting raids on former Deputy Chief Kim's residence and university office last April.

Based on the investigation results, an arrest warrant was requested on the 7th of this month, which the court issued citing concerns over the destruction of evidence.

Immediately after his arrest, former Deputy Chief Kim requested the court to reassess the legality of his detention, but the court dismissed it, stating there was "no grounds for the request."

The suspicion in question first originated from allegations raised by current Unification Minister Chung Dong-young in January of last year.

At the time, Minister Chung Dong-young claimed that immediately after the lifting of martial law, former Deputy Chief Kim called then-U.S. Ambassador Goldberg and insisted that "martial law was inevitable to eradicate anti-state forces that destroyed South Korea's judicial and administrative systems through legislative dictatorship."

However, former Deputy Chief Kim has explained regarding this that although he did receive a call from Ambassador Goldberg about an hour after the emergency martial law was declared, he hung up after saying, "Let's watch the situation together."

The independent counsel team stated through a press notice on this day that co-suspects former President Yoon and former Chief Shin will be indicted at a later date.

(Photo: Yonhap News)