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Special Counsel Says It Found Signs NIS Prepared Security-Threat List Ahead of 2024 Martial Law Bid
A special counsel team on July 6, 2026, accused South Korea's National Intelligence Service of preparing a list of hundreds labeled security threats and selecting officials for the martial law command. The team is investigating orders behind the list, including from then NIS Director Cho Tae-yong.
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A special counsel team on Monday accused South Korea's National Intelligence Service of actively cooperating in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed 2024 martial law bid. The team said it recently detected signs that the NIS prepared a list of hundreds of individuals labeled as security threats at the time of Yoon's martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024.
Assistant special counsel Kim Ji-mi stated during a regular briefing at the team's office in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, that investigators have found signs the NIS actively participated in emergency martial law. The team is looking into who ordered creation of the list, including then NIS Director Cho Tae-yong, Kim said.
She added that the NIS also chose officials to dispatch to the martial law command following Yoon's declaration.
The special counsel team was launched in February to investigate allegations surrounding Yoon, his failed martial law bid and his wife. It did not elaborate on details of the security threats list.
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