The 2nd Comprehensive Special Prosecutor's Team, Kwon Chang-young, sent former Army Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jin-woo to trial in connection with the suspicions of the 'Guardian Task Force (TF)'.
The special prosecutor's team announced on the 21st that former commander Lee was indicted without detention on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights.
Former commander Lee is suspected of creating the Guardian Task Force, a special counter-terrorism task force, within the Subangsa in February 2024, and then ordering the deployment of troops into the National Assembly on the day of martial law on December 3.
It was discovered that former commander Lee called Cho Seong-hyeon, former commander of the 1st Guards Division of Subangsa (Colonel), at 9:48 p.m. on the day of martial law and instructed him to "convene the guardian task force and have the leader come into the headquarters."
The special prosecutor's team determined that the Guardian TF, which was created as an anti-terrorism unit, was actually an organization to prepare for illegal martial law.
On this day, the special prosecutor's team also indicted former ROK Armed Forces Counterintelligence Commander Yeo Yeo Yeo-hyung without detention on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights in relation to the counterintelligence agency's suspicions of preliminary preparations for martial law.
Based on the contents of the 'Martial Law Command Joint Investigation Headquarters Operation Plan Document', the special prosecutor's team concluded that counterintelligence agents, including former Commander Yeo, prepared for martial law around March 2024.
This document, written about 10 months before the declaration of martial law on December 3, was found to contain information that dispatched personnel from each agency, including counterintelligence unit members and military police, would be gathered at the Joint Headquarters when martial law was declared.
Former ROK Armed Forces Counterintelligence Commander Hwang Yoo-seong and former Marine Corps Command Counterintelligence Unit Commander Moon Yeon-cheol, who are suspected of concealing the so-called 'VIP rage theory' during the handling of the case of the late Corporal Chae Soo-geun's death in the line of duty, were also handed over to trial on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights.
Former Marine Corps Commander Kim Gye-hwan was indicted without detention on charges of coercing an interview.
They are suspected of being involved in the case handling process, such as preventing the collection of information related to VIP outrage following the death of Chae Sang-byeong on July 20, 2023.
The VIP outrage incident refers to the fact that former President Yoon became very angry and reprimanded the person responsible for the Chae Sang-byeong incident at a meeting of senior secretaries in the President's Office held on July 31 of the same year. This is cited as the starting point for suspicions of external pressure on the investigation.
Former Commander Hwang commanded the Counterintelligence Agency, a military intelligence agency, at the time of the incident, and former Deputy Commander Moon was dispatched to the Marine Corps Command and was in charge of collecting related information.
Former Commander Hwang was questioned as a witness after it was revealed during the investigation by the special prosecutor team of Lee Myung-hyeon last year that he had phone calls with former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop, former National Security Office Director Cho Tae-yong, former National Security Office Second Deputy Director Lim Jong-deuk, and former Public Service Discipline Secretary Lee Si-won after the death of Chae Sang-byeong in the line of duty.
It is known that former Vice-Admiral Moon had a conversation with former Marine Corps Commandant Kim Gye-hwan at the time to the effect that, "Marine Corps Investigation Team Chief Park Jeong-hoon is aware of the VIP fury and is likely to expose it, so it must be stopped."
A recording of a phone call was revealed in which Kim said to former commander Kim, "We will provide security training to prevent Marine Corps executives from expressing VIP anger."
It was also found that starting in August of the same year, an order was given to prepare an ‘inspection report’ on former director Park Jeong-hoon.
Based on this information, the comprehensive special prosecutor's team believed that counterintelligence agents may have been systematically involved in covering up the VIP fury and requested arrest warrants for former commander Hwang and former deputy leader Moon, but the request was dismissed by the court.
The special prosecutor's team also indicted Kim Dong-hyuk, former head of the Ministry of National Defense's prosecution team, without detention on charges of writing false official documents related to the Chae Marine case.
Former Director Kim is accused of ordering military prosecutors from the Ministry of National Defense's prosecution team in August 2023 to enter false information such as 'VIP fury is false and delusional' in the application for an arrest warrant for Park Jeong-hoon, then head of the Marine Corps investigation team.
The special prosecution team is scheduled to conclude its investigation on the 23rd.
