Noh Sang-won, former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command, who was indicted on suspicion of simulating a Dec. 3 emergency martial law, claimed in the sedition trial that he offered an explanation for his handwritten memo and that the special counsel attempted plea bargaining. The special counsel immediately countered that it was a distortion of the facts and an obstruction of maintaining the indictment, and the dispute continued in and out of the courtroom.
On the 8th, Noh appeared as a witness at the trial of the case involving former President Yoon on sedition and abuse of authority, held before the 25th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, and argued that the 70-page notebook long pointed to as evidence of preparations for martial law "was not for the purpose of preparing for martial law and also included things jotted down while watching TV." The notebook contains markings suspected to be a martial law plan, such as "D-1" and "D," as well as names of political and social figures, and phrases like "address," "the entire nation," and "exit bans."
In particular, he denied the suspicions, saying, "While watching the drama 'Age of Warriors' on TV, I wrote down Kim Du-han, and when Son Heung-min appeared, I thought of Cha Bum-kun and wrote that down." Regarding the timing of the notes, he said, "I cannot say for certain it was before the general election, but the point was that after winning the general election, a legal basis had to be established."
Noh also revealed that he was offered plea bargaining during the special counsel's investigation. He said, "I thought they had already decided on the answer and wanted me to say yes," claiming they hinted at a reduced sentence in exchange for testimony about former President Yoon. During his remarks, he sighed or raised his voice, appearing agitated, and to some questions he said, "I refuse to testify because it's bothersome."
At the end of the hearing, former President Yoon personally said, "A plan to investigate the National Election Commission-related matter itself is a probe that is hard to establish," defending Noh. The clash continued after the hearing, and the defense team argued that "the special counsel's illegal investigation has been exposed." In response, the special counsel countered, saying, "The mention of coercing false statements distorts the facts."
At the time of the Dec. 3 emergency martial law, Noh is accused of receiving personnel information on Defense Intelligence Command agents to form the "2nd Investigation Team," an organization to investigate alleged election fraud, and the special counsel is continuing its probe based on his notebook and other materials, concluding that preparations for martial law became full-fledged around Oct. 2023, when military generals were being appointed.