Special Counsel to Question Former Defense Minister Over Martial Law Episode

Strategic Insights -

A special counsel team will question former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun next week over his alleged role in the botched martial law episode. Kim is being held in custody and will be visited by the special prosecutor's team at a detention facility in eastern Seoul on Monday to answer questions as a witness in the investigation into jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration. The special counsel is investigating charges of insurrection and other offenses stemming from the martial law fiasco. Additionally, Kim will also be questioned by another special counsel team investigating the alleged cover-up of the truth behind the death of a Marine officer in 2023.

Key Takeaways:

  • A special counsel team will question former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun over his alleged role in the botched martial law episode.
  • Kim is being held in custody and will be visited by the special prosecutor's team at a detention facility in eastern Seoul on Monday.
  • The special counsel is investigating charges of insurrection and other offenses stemming from the martial law fiasco.
  • The former defense minister will be questioned over suspicions that he informed former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min about the martial law decree before it was announced at a Cabinet meeting on Dec. 3.
  • Former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min was arrested last week on charges of aiding and abetting the martial law imposition.
  • Kim was also arrested in December on charges of playing a key role in the martial law episode.
  • Another special counsel team will question the former defense minister on August 18 over the alleged cover-up of the truth behind the death of a Marine officer in 2023.
  • The special counsel team is gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses in connection with the investigation.
  • Former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration is under investigation as part of the broader inquiry.

Statistics:

  • Kim Yong-hyun is set to be questioned by 2 separate special counsel teams.
  • The special prosecutor's team will question Kim at around 2 p.m. on Monday.
  • The investigation into the martial law episode has resulted in the arrest of 2 key figures: former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.
  • The special counsel teams are investigating charges of insurrection and other offenses stemming from the martial law fiasco.
  • The alleged cover-up of the truth behind the death of a Marine officer in 2023 is also being investigated by a separate special counsel team.
  • The investigation is ongoing, with the special counsel teams gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses.

Sources:

  • Yonhap News Agency (06 Aug 2025)
  • Judicial sources cited in the Yonhap News Agency article