Military intelligence chief arrested on rebellion charges

By Park Sae-jin Posted : December 18, 2024, 16:15 Updated : December 18, 2024, 16:19
Moon Sang-ho, head of the Defense Intelligence Command (DIC) speaks during a hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 30, 2024. Yonhap
SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO), an independent agency established to root out corruption in government, has arrested Moon Sang-ho, the chief of the Defense Intelligence Command (DIC) on charges of rebellion and other offenses.

The CIO said that it apprehended Moon at around 12:20 p.m. on Wednesday with the assistance of the National Police Agency, after obtaining an arrest warrant for him the previous day.

Moon is accused of ordering the deployment of troops to the National Election Commission's main office in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, immediately after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 3.

He is also alleged to have attempted to arrest lawmakers by deploying field operators from the Headquarters of Intelligence Detachment (HID) — a unit specializing in infiltration operations to North Korea under the DIC.

According to police, there was evidence suggesting that Moon received instructions from former military intelligence chief Roh Sang-won to "secure the National Election Commission (NEC) servers in connection with election fraud once martial law was declared." During the martial law operation, military forces raided the NEC and photographed its servers.

Moon is also suspected of meeting Roh along with two subordinates at a hamburger chain in Gyeonggi Province two days before the declaration of martial law to discuss the plot.

Last spring's general elections in April, which saw the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and its allied parties win 192 out of the National Assembly's 300 seats, have become a focal point for far-right-wingers and conspiracy theorists on YouTube, who claim the elections were rigged. The ruling People Power Party (PPP) suffered a major defeat, securing only 108 seats.

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