The police summoned and questioned Kim Young-ho, Minister of Unification, who attended the Cabinet meeting held before the declaration of martial law.
The police are reportedly focusing on questioning the contents of a 'notebook' written by Noh Sang-won, a former intelligence commander who was arrested on suspicion of drafting a martial law proclamation.
The special investigation team on martial law of the Korean National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters stated on the 22nd that Minister Kim was summoned and questioned from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the 21st.
President Yoon Seok-youl convened a Cabinet meeting in the presidential office reception room from 10:17 p.m. to 10:22 p.m. on the 3rd, just before the declaration of martial law. Twelve individuals attended the meeting, including President Yoon, Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok, former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyeon, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho, Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae, and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min. The police have investigated 10 out of the 12 attendees and participants of the Cabinet meeting held before the declaration of martial law, including Minister Kim, who was summoned for questioning the previous day.
The police are also accelerating their investigation of former commander Noh. The special investigation team secured a notebook from Noh's fortune-teller’s shop in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. It is reported that the police are questioning the specific meaning of phrases in the notebook, thought to relate to the deployment plans for military units. The notebook is said to contain details about the targets such as the National Assembly and the National Election Commission, which military units are expected to approach following the declaration of martial law.
The police are tracking the whereabouts of the cellphone used by former commander Noh before martial law while investigating if Noh held any meeting with military personnel, besides the ' Lotteria meeting,' two days before and on the day of martial law. Noh, who served as the intelligence commander during the Park Geun-hye administration, is currently a civilian.
The police reportedly summoned former colonel Kim, who was arrested on charges of discussing martial law in advance at Lotteria with former Minister Noh, to inquire whether there were actual plans involving the insertion of North Korean-created operations units (HID) under the Intelligence Command and the arrest of Supreme Court Justice Noh Tae-ak, the chairman of the election commission. The police plan to continue focusing on investigating former Minister Noh until the 23rd as the transfer of Noh to the prosecution is scheduled for the 24th.