Yoon, ex-military officials indicted for allegedly provoking North to justify martial law
Published: 10 Nov. 2025, 12:16
Updated: 10 Nov. 2025, 18:44
![Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends his first trial on charges including obstruction of official duties and abuse of authority at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 26. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/10/ac536635-e8b6-4e41-b044-6742d1ee1ceb.jpg)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends his first trial on charges including obstruction of official duties and abuse of authority at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 26. [NEWS1]
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and several former military officials have been indicted in connection with alleged efforts to provoke North Korea and justify the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, according to the special prosecutors’ office.
On Monday, Special Prosecutor Cho Eon-seok’s team announced that Yoon, along with former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former Defense Security Command chief Yeo In-hyung, was indicted on charges of undermining national security and abusing authority. Kim Yong-dae, commander of the Drone Operations Command, was also indicted without detention on charges, including obstruction of official duties through deceit and instigating the falsification of official documents.
“The issue is the fact that former President Yoon, former Minister Kim and former Commander Yeo harmed the military interests of the Republic of Korea,” said Deputy Special Prosecutor Park Ji-young at a press briefing, adding that a forensic investigation uncovered memos on Yeo’s phone related to the case.
According to the team, Yeo’s handwritten notes from October and November last year included phrases such as “We must create instability or seize the opportunity when it arises,” “The enemy must conduct a strategic military provocation,” and “There must be a situation that cannot be controlled by wartime or police force.”
“The process of confirming what we once doubted through hard evidence has left everyone involved in the investigation not just disappointed, but devastated,” Park said.
There had been speculation that the investigation might invoke the charge of attempting to provoke foreign aggression — a capital offense under criminal law. But the team ultimately indicted Yoon and the others for undermining national security, which does not require evidence of collusion with a hostile state. The charge applies if one harms the Republic of Korea’s military interests or provides military advantage to an enemy state.
![The North Korean and South Korean flags are seen hung up near the border seen from Paju, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 22. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/10/6e6c7dc8-9444-4a25-a8ad-81e7098cc8fa.jpg)
The North Korean and South Korean flags are seen hung up near the border seen from Paju, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 22. [YONHAP]
Yoon and the co-defendants are accused of ordering the Drone Operations Command to launch an unmanned aerial vehicle toward Pyongyang in October last year to provoke a military response from North Korea that could be used as justification for declaring martial law.
Prosecutors concluded that since the drone crashed near Pyongyang, leaking sensitive operational and military information, the crime of undermining national security had been committed.
The special prosecutors’ office questioned military officials multiple times to reconstruct the decision-making process behind the operation, from planning to execution. Last month, Yoon was summoned as a suspect and questioned. While he largely exercised his right to remain silent, he reportedly denied the charges in part.
The prosecution said it limited the scope of the indictments out of consideration for the national security implications of the operation, and chose not to prosecute any junior officers.
With this round of indictments, the special prosecutors’ office has concluded its investigation into the alleged foreign provocation and will now focus on the remaining part of its mandate — determining the truth behind the martial law allegations.
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 HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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