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Choo Kyung-ho suspected of obstructing martial law vote during critical declaration

Published: 02 Sep. 2025, 18:20

Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the People Power Party enters his office at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, as investigators carry out a raid on Sept. 2. [NEWS1]

Prosecutors on Tuesday launched a compulsory investigation into Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the People Power Party (PPP), naming him a suspect on charges of insurrection-related duties and abuse of power.

The probe concerns allegations that Choo, as the PPP’s floor leader during the Dec. 3 martial law declaration last year, obstructed lawmakers from participating in a vote to lift martial law by changing the location of a party general meeting three times.

The special counsel team, led by Cho Eun-seok, raided Choo’s homes in Seoul and Daegu on Tuesday morning, along with his offices at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, and in his constituency.

Investigators also seized the mobile phones of two PPP aides who worked in the party’s floor leader’s office and the National Assembly’s administrative office. They also searched the office of Rep. Cho Ji-yeon, a first-term PPP lawmaker from Gyeongsan, who spoke with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun before martial law was imposed on Dec. 3.

The investigation is focused on suspicions that Choo attempted to block a parliamentary vote to lift martial law at the request or instruction of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Choo, as PPP’s then-floor leader, allegedly shifted the venue of a general meeting three times — from the National Assembly to party headquarters, back to the National Assembly and again to party headquarters.

Only 18 of 108 PPP lawmakers ultimately participated in the vote. Investigators believe Choo obstructed other lawmakers’ right to vote and have barred him from leaving the country.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is under investigation by a special counsel over the Dec. 3 martial law case, appears at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on July 9 for his second pretrial detention hearing. [NEWS1]

The special counsel also plans to question six to seven other PPP lawmakers who were with Choo in the floor leader’s office at the time, to clarify his movements and the reasons behind the venue changes.

“We will verify how decisions were made during the martial law crisis and track the lawmakers’ actions afterward,” said assistant special counsel Park Ji-young in a briefing on Tuesday.

The team is also reviewing how meeting notices were sent via the PPP’s internal messaging system. Records show that at 11:22 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2024, Choo spoke briefly by phone with former President Yoon.

Eleven minutes later, he shifted the meeting back to the National Assembly before moving it once more to party headquarters at 12:03 a.m. Around 50 to 60 lawmakers remained at headquarters, while the National Assembly passed the motion to lift martial law at approximately 1:02 a.m.

Choo has claimed the call with Yoon was only an apology for not informing him sooner. But investigators questioned that account, citing the rapidly escalating situation at the National Assembly that night.

Reporters wait outside the office of Rep. Choo Kyung-ho at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Aug. 2 as special counsel investigators raid his office over allegations that he obstructed a parliamentary vote to lift martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. [YONHAP]

Choo was also confirmed to have spoken with former senior secretary for political affairs Hong Chul-ho around 11 p.m. and with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at 11:11 p.m., both shortly before calling Yoon. He countered that those conversations dealt only with concerns about martial law, not the vote. Choo also acknowledged speaking with Yoon on Dec. 1, two days before the declaration, which he said was about the budget bill.

The special counsel team said it will continue analyzing data obtained from Choo’s phone and expand questioning of lawmakers.

“The more witness testimony we secure, the tighter our investigation will become,” Park said. On Tuesday afternoon, Seo Wang-jin, floor leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, appeared as a witness, while Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won is scheduled to testify on Thursday on allegations of insurrection and foreign aggression.

The PPP strongly condemned the raids.

“The special counsel’s indiscriminate searches go beyond political oppression and amount to an attempt to annihilate the [PPP],” chief spokesperson Choi Bo-yun said in a statement, urging prosecutors to end what the party described as a “witch hunt.”

Some within the PPP, however, suggested the party may need to provide investigators with a more detailed account of events.

“If necessary, we can simply explain what happened as it was,” one lawmaker said on condition of anonymity.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM BO-REUM,KIM SEONG-JIN [[email protected]]