After the three special probes (insurrection, Kim Keon-hee, and the Marine who died in the line of duty), the second consolidated special prosecutor team led by Kwon Chang-young, which is currently investigating remaining suspicions, booked former Capital Defense Command 1st Security Group Director General Cho Seong-hyeon as a suspect.
According to legal sources on the 27th, the special counsel team booked the former Director General Cho on suspicion of engaging in critical duties related to insurrection and is currently investigating.
The former Director General Cho is suspected of relaying former Capital Defense Command chief Lee Jin-woo's order to deploy to the National Assembly to the 2nd Special Mission Battalion and the 35th Special Mission Battalion during martial law.
The special counsel team is said to have found indications that, acting on Lee's orders during martial law, the former Director General Cho told units waiting on Seogang Bridge, "Leave firearms and blank cartridges in the vehicles and take batons for deployment. The mission is to pull people inside the National Assembly out."
However, it was determined that around 1 a.m., the former Director General Cho again ordered, citing that citizens and subordinates could be hurt, "Wait at Seogang Bridge."
The special counsel team views that the insurrection charge is established even by the initial order to pull lawmakers out of the National Assembly and is continuing the investigation. The team plans to summon the former Director General Cho for questioning next month.
The former Director General Cho has given related testimony multiple times in investigations and in the impeachment trial of former President Yoon Suk-yeol after martial law.
He previously appeared before the Constitutional Court and elsewhere and said, "During martial law, I received an order from former commander Lee to enter the National Assembly and pull out lawmakers," and, "I judged the mission objective to be unclear, demanded a review, and instructed follow-on units to wait and not cross Seogang Bridge directly."
In connection with this, the Ministry of National Defense awarded the former Director General Cho the Order of National Security Merit, Samil Medal, in September last year in recognition of his contribution to preventing national turmoil by not following illegal or improper orders during martial law and avoiding clashes with the public.