Seoul, Nov 21 The South Korean defence and foreign ministries on Friday set up their own task forces to investigate the involvement of military and ministry officials in former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law attempt in December last year.
The move came as the office of Prime Minister Kim Min-seok launched an interagency task force this week to investigate whether public officials at 49 central government agencies were involved in illegal activities or misconduct in connection with Yoon’s martial law bid.
The defence and foreign ministries are among 12 key agencies coming under intensive inspection.
The defence ministry said the task force, led by Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back, will consist of about 50 personnel, including members of the inspection bureau and external experts.
In a related effort, the ministry will open a hotline and an email channel to receive such tip-offs.
Meanwhile, the ministry said the results of an independent investigation it had conducted on military units that were mobilised for the martial law operations since August will be out soon.
In a separate announcement, the foreign ministry said it has established its own task force, headed by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, which will operate from Monday through January 30, Yonhap news agency reported.
The ministry said it plans to “proceed with the probe in a transparent and diligent manner within the scope permitted under due procedures.” It will also be open to receive complaints regarding the investigation until December 12.
The 2024 South Korean martial law crisis was a political crisis in South Korea triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law. On 3 December 2024, Yoon, then the president of South Korea, announced the imposition of martial law during a televised address. Although martial law was lifted a day later, public outrage, mass protests, and rapid legislative action led to his impeachment.
On January 15, South Korea witnessed the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol.
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