South Korea: Lee Appoints Assistant Special Counsels For New Probe Into Ex-President Yoon's Martial Law

(MENAFN- IANS) Seoul, June 20 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has appointed six assistant special counsels to support a new investigation into insurrection charges related to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration, the presidential office said on Friday.

Independent counsel Cho Eun-suk recommended eight assistant counsel nominees for the positions and formally requested their appointments through the Ministry of Personnel and Management.

Under the relevant law, the president is required to appoint assistant special counsels within five days of receiving the request.

On Thursday, Cho's team said they had indicted former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun on charges including obstruction of official duties and abetting the destruction of evidence in relation to the imposition of martial law.

Lee is also expected to appoint four additional assistant special counsels by Saturday to assist in a separate investigation into influence-peddling allegations surrounding the 2023 drowning death of a Marine during a search and rescue operation, Yonhap news agency reported.

Earlier on June 19, the independent counsel investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law said he had indicted former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun on charges including obstruction of official duties.

Cho Eun-suk said in a notice to the press that Kim was also indicted on charges of abetting the destruction of evidence in connection with the December 3 imposition of martial law. The charges were filed late Wednesday night, he said.

Kim has been under arrest since December 27 and standing trial on charges of insurrection for recommending martial law to Yoon and drafting the decree.

The additional indictments came two days after Kim appealed a conditional bail decision sought by the prosecution and granted by a court in an apparent bid to win unconditional release when his six-month arrest expires June 26.

In the notice, Cho said, "We have requested the court to swiftly consolidate the new charges against Kim with the existing case, cancel the bail decision and issue a new detention warrant."

The special counsel's move appears intended to prevent Kim from being released next week.

Under criminal procedure law, the pretrial detention period for a first-instance trial cannot exceed six months. As the same charges cannot be used to justify continued detention, Kim must be released unless a new warrant is issued based on additional charges.

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