Nat’l police chief, ex-head of Seoul police indicted over martial law involvement

This photograph from Dec. 4, 2024, exhibits a police bus departing from the Nationwide Meeting in Seoul hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial regulation. Yonhap

Prosecutors on Wednesday indicted the top of the Nationwide Police Company and the previous chief of the Seoul police over their alleged roles throughout President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived imposition of martial regulation, officers stated.

Cho Ji-ho, commissioner basic of the Nationwide Police Company, and Kim Bong-sik, former chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Company, had been indicted below detention on prices of partaking in important actions for an rebellion and abuse of energy.

The indictments got here after the 2 officers had been arrested final month as a part of an investigation into Yoon’s botched declaration of martial regulation on Dec. 3.

Cho is accused of ordering police to forestall lawmakers from coming into the Nationwide Meeting throughout martial regulation and alleged involvement within the army’s try and arrest key politicians.

The 2 officers allegedly met Yoon hours earlier than his martial regulation declaration on the presidential protected home in central Seoul, based on the particular prosecution group dealing with the case.

Throughout the assembly, Yoon informed the officers that he plans to declare martial regulation and instructed them to ship police personnel to the Nationwide Meeting and management the scenario, the prosecutors stated.

Cho and Kim additionally allegedly acquired a doc from former Protection Minister Kim Yong-hyun that detailed plans below martial regulation, akin to the place and when martial regulation troops could be deployed.

When Yoon declared martial regulation, Kim allegedly ordered police to fully block entry into the Nationwide Meeting.

He briefly allowed lawmakers to enter the compound after present process authorized evaluation together with his employees however later sealed off entry, citing the martial regulation decree that banned all political exercise, based on the prosecutors. (Yonhap)