The Special Prosecutor's Office, led by Kwon Chang-young, has summoned Cho Sung-hyun, the former head of the Army's 1st Guard Brigade, for further questioning.
On the morning of July 15, starting at 10 a.m., the special prosecutor's office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, is conducting an investigation into Cho, who is a suspect in insurrection-related duties. This marks Cho's second appearance before the special prosecutor, following his initial appearance on July 10.
Arriving at 9:40 a.m., Cho denied allegations that he did not issue orders to avoid crossing Seogang Bridge during the state of emergency, stating, "It is correct that I instructed not to cross Seogang Bridge." He added, "I will provide detailed explanations once I enter."
Cho is accused of being involved in insurrection by relaying orders from former Commander Lee Jin-woo to the 2nd Special Operations Battalion and the 35th Special Operations Battalion on December 3, 2024, regarding their deployment to the National Assembly.
The special prosecutor's office is focusing on Cho's reported instruction to troops waiting at Seogang Bridge to leave their firearms and rubber bullets in their vehicles and to take riot shields instead, with the mission to remove individuals from inside the National Assembly, following Lee's directive to pull out lawmakers.
The special prosecutor believes that relaying Lee's order to subordinate units constitutes participation in insurrection.
Deputy Special Prosecutor Kim Ji-mi stated during a regular briefing on July 14, "We have secured significant evidence, including details of the orders given by Cho and notes taken at the time."
She explained that Cho generally responded to questions unfavorable to him by claiming he did not remember or that he learned about his subordinates' movements afterward.
Previously, the insurrection special prosecutor's team, led by Jo Eun-seok, had decided not to charge Cho, believing he had initially responded passively to Lee's orders and ultimately rejected them as unconstitutional and illegal.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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