Report: Probe Alleges Yoon Sought DPRK Provocation to Justify Martial Law

By Staff, Agencies

A special investigation led by Prosecutor Cho Eun-seok has concluded that former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol allegedly orchestrated covert military actions to provoke a response from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a pretext for imposing martial law.

According to the final report released Monday, Yoon authorized irregular military activities, including drone incursions into DPRK airspace carrying propaganda leaflets near Pyongyang.

Investigators said the aim was to manufacture a wartime or crisis atmosphere that could justify emergency rule.

Evidence recovered from the mobile phone of Yeo In-hyung, former head of the Counterintelligence Command, included notes explicitly advocating the creation of chaos or armed confrontation to legitimize martial law.

However, the plan reportedly failed after the DPRK refrained from military retaliation. In October 2024, DPRK authorities reported multiple drone intrusions over Pyongyang, claims that Seoul denied at the time.

Following the lack of external escalation, investigators say the alleged strategy shifted inward.

Yoon is accused of attempting to frame the April 2024 parliamentary elections as fraudulent, blaming so-called “anti-state forces” to justify suspending parliament under martial law.

The report found preparations for emergency rule began as early as October 2023. Plans included the immediate seizure of the Central Electoral Commission, with around 30 intelligence officers allegedly entering its premises without legal authority.

Equipment such as blindfolds, cable ties, bats, and hammers was reportedly prepared for detentions.

The special prosecutor concluded the actions were aimed at dismantling opposition forces, paralyzing democratic institutions, and consolidating power under Yoon’s control.