The second comprehensive special prosecutor team, led by Kwon Chang-young, has summoned Jo Tae-yong, the former head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), for further questioning regarding allegations that he was involved in explaining the background of martial law to allied countries, including the CIA, shortly after its declaration on December 3, 2024.
The special prosecutor's team began questioning Jo at 10 a.m. on June 12, marking the second time he has been interrogated since June 1. Jo is being investigated on charges of engaging in important insurrection duties and violating the National Intelligence Service Act.
Jo is accused of being involved in the process of explaining the martial law's background to allied nations at the request of the National Security Office on December 4, 2024, the day after the martial law was declared. The special prosecutor's team believes that the NIS received a request from the Security Office to provide a document in Korean explaining the reasons for the martial law.
The team suspects that, under Jo's direction, the NIS's overseas department, which was under Hong Jang-won, translated the document into English and subsequently explained its contents to the CIA.
Key issues in this investigation include how the request from the Security Office was communicated within the NIS and whether Jo issued any directives regarding it. The special prosecutor's team has previously questioned former Security Office chief Shin Won-sik and former Deputy Chief Hong to verify the details of the request and the document's transmission.
The special prosecutor is also examining the contents of a political meeting and department head meeting held at the NIS shortly after the martial law was declared. Jo is reported to have chaired a political meeting at 11:30 p.m. on the day of the declaration, attended by the first and third deputy chiefs and the planning coordination office head. The team is investigating whether discussions regarding the martial law took place during that meeting.
Hong, who was questioned the previous day, is scheduled to return for further questioning on June 22. The special prosecutor plans to reconstruct the overall allegations regarding the CIA explanations based on the testimonies of Hong and Jo.
Additionally, the special prosecutor has charged three NIS officials involved in the allegations with insurrection preparation, which refers to those who did not directly lead insurrection activities but assisted or participated in them. The handling of Shin and former Deputy Chief Kim Tae-hyo is also reportedly under review.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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