The special investigation team for martial law of the Korean National Police Agency's National Investigations Headquarters announced on the 17th that it had applied for an arrest warrant for Noh Sang-won, former intelligence commander.
The former commander Noh was urgently arrested on the 15th and is currently detained at the Seoul Western Police Station detention center. Noh is accused of discussing martial law in advance with figures such as Kim Yong-hyon, the former Minister of the Ministry of National Defense. The special investigation team noted, "It has been confirmed that former commander Noh had preliminary discussions related to martial law with former Minister Kim and individuals related to the intelligence command."
Former commander Noh served as intelligence commander during the Park Geun-hye administration and is now a civilian. The Democratic Party of Korea previously pointed out Noh as the "behind-the-scenes" figure who helped former Minister Kim plan this martial law. It is reported that the police are also suspicious of whether Noh, known to be an alumnus and a close friend of former Minister Kim from the Korean Military Academy, drafted the proclamation.
The special investigation team stated that it transferred the related case to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) around 9:30 p.m. to expedite the handling of the matter and conduct an investigation regarding intelligence commander Moon Sang-ho, who had been released the previous day when the prosecution didn't approve the emergency arrest. Commander Moon is accused of ordering troop deployments to the Central Election Management Committee (CEMC) in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, following President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law on the 3rd.