The second special prosecutor team, led by Kwon Chang-young, will re-summon Jo Sung-hyun, the former commander of the Army's Capital Defense Command, on charges of involvement in the emergency martial law declared on December 12-13. The team has also notified lawmakers Na Kyung-won and Kim Ki-hyun of the People Power Party to appear for questioning regarding allegations of obstructing the execution of a warrant for the arrest of former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Special Prosecutor Kim Ji-mi held a regular briefing on July 13 at the special prosecutor's office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, stating, "We conducted witness interviews with two subordinates of Jo, who is under investigation for insurrection-related duties. This has led to significant testimonies regarding the details of orders given by Jo and notes taken at the time."
Jo is accused of being involved in the insurrection by relaying orders from former Capital Defense Command Chief Lee Jin-woo to the Second Special Operations Battalion and the 35th Special Operations Battalion, directing them to respond to the National Assembly.
The special prosecutors are focusing on Jo's statement to troops waiting at the Seogang Bridge, where he said, "The mission is to remove personnel from inside the National Assembly," following Lee's order to remove lawmakers. The prosecutors believe that issuing orders to subordinate units based on Lee's directive constitutes participation in insurrection.
Previously, the insurrection special prosecutor team, led by Jo Eun-seok, had decided not to charge Jo, citing that he had initially responded passively to Lee's orders and ultimately deemed them unconstitutional and illegal, leading him to refuse compliance.
During Jo's first questioning as a suspect on July 10, the special prosecutors reported that he generally denied the allegations, claiming he could not recall details of questions that were unfavorable to him and that he learned about his subordinates' movements afterward. The second round of questioning for Jo is scheduled for July 15.
Additionally, the special prosecutors have summoned Na and Kim to appear on July 20 for their alleged roles in obstructing the execution of the arrest warrant for former President Yoon.
Special Prosecutor Kim stated, "The two lawmakers submitted only opinion statements, not written testimonies." It has been confirmed that fellow lawmakers Yoon Sang-hyun and Kwon Young-jin, who were also implicated, submitted written testimonies and were not summoned.
A detention hearing for former Ground Operations Commander Kang Ho-pil, who is also under investigation for insurrection-related duties, is expected to take place today, with a decision on his detention anticipated by late evening.
Kang is accused of participating in the martial law by being involved in the establishment of an internal situation room within the Ground Operations Command and directing the assembly of crisis response teams and command staff. He is also suspected of participating in discussions related to the martial law prior to its declaration.
At that time, former Defense Security Command Chief Yeo In-hyung referred to the Ground Operations Commander, Special Warfare Commander, Capital Defense Commander, and Defense Security Commander collectively as 'JTSB' and noted in memos, "The common opinion of JTSB is that the four are prepared. The enemy's actions must come first. A situation must arise that cannot be controlled by military or police forces."
Kang, along with former Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jong-geun and former Commanders Lee and Yeo, is currently facing trial for insurrection-related duties.
The insurrection special prosecutors previously determined that there was no evidence of actual troop deployment or specific missions carried out by the Ground Operations Command, leading to Kang being excluded from prosecution. Kang claims he was unaware of the martial law in advance and did not participate in its execution.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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