President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a public address regarding the botched martial law imposition on Dec. 12, 2024, in this photo provided by the presidential office. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered police to “round up” all lawmakers when he invoked martial law last week, the chief of the National Police Agency (NPA) reportedly has told investigators.
NPA Commissioner General Cho Ji-ho made the claim during questioning over his role in Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. Cho has been taken into custody pending a court decision on his formal arrest.
Cho reportedly claimed that Yoon had called him after declaring martial law and said: “Round them all up. They violated the martial law, so arrest them.”
Cho’s claim is consistent with the testimonies given by military commanders in parliament hearings held in the wake of the botched martial law attempt.
Cho reportedly told police that Yoon called him by phone six times to order the arrest of lawmakers, mainly his political opponents, during the martial law operations, but Cho did not pass on the instructions to the front lines, because he thought “none of them made sense.”
Cho purportedly told police that he did not record the phone calls.
Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun reportedly used Yoon’s phone to call Cho and inform him of a delay in Yoon’s announcement of martial law, Cho reportedly told police.
Yoon had initially planned to declare martial law at 10 p.m. and begin operations to block the National Assembly and other institutions at 11 p.m. However, the declaration was announced in a televised speech at 10:23 p.m.
(Yonhap)
