The special investigation team is interviewing General Kim Yong-dae, the head of drone operations, again regarding the suspicion of 'North Korean drone infiltration' on the 14th.
General Kim appeared at the Seoul High Prosecutor's Office, where the special investigation team is based, on the morning of the same day. It has been reported that the team has been questioning General Kim as a suspect since 10 a.m.
At the Seoul High Prosecutor's Office, General Kim told reporters, "I really did not infiltrate with a drone; rather, I undertook a response operation to the balloon showing. From what I see in the media, it often seems like they are writing from North Korea's perspective." He added, "The balloon showing caused immense harm to the public, and I thought about whether it was a soldier's duty to just watch without doing anything. I considered that my action was in response to those concerns." He also stated, "This operation did not start at the direction of the president, and I have never met with the president."
General Kim also addressed the suspicion that he was effectively 'passed over' in the operation, as Chairman Kim Myung-soo of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was allegedly not aware of the operation in advance, saying, "There can absolutely be no 'passing over' by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS); I reported to the JCS chairman and shared everything with the operations chief." He also mentioned that, regarding reports claiming Chairman Kim said to include something like 'chocolate or candy,' he said, "He did say that."
Furthermore, General Kim commented on the suspicion that former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun had received operational reports since he was the head of the presidential security service, stating, "I have known him for a long time, but I have not reported any operations to him." He expressed confusion, saying, "It does not make sense to treat military operations as criminal cases. Where in the world does a country publicly disclose military operations like this? I feel very wronged and distressed."
The special investigation team is looking into whether former President Yoon Suk-yeol directly ordered the drone company to deploy drones in Pyongyang in October last year to create a justification for declaring martial law, and whether the military was systematically involved in covering this up.
General Kim's side claims that the operation to deploy drones in Pyongyang was carried out lawfully under the command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and has nothing to do with the emergency martial law of December 3.
Previously, on the 17th of last month, the special investigation team interrogated General Kim for about 13 hours as a suspect of general betrayal, fabrication of false official documents, and abuse of power. On the 20th of the same month, they requested an arrest warrant, but the court dismissed it, stating, "It excessively restricts the suspect's right to defense."