The special counsel findings show how emergency powers and personnel control eroded safeguards long before Dec. 3

Former ROK Defense Intelligence Commander Moon Sang-ho (far left), former ROK Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung (center left), former President Yoon Suk Yeol (center), former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun (center right), former Defense Intelligence Commander Noh Sang-won (far right), with notes from Yeo’s mobile phone, Noh’s notebook and martial law troops attempting to storm the National Assembly premises on Dec. 3, 2024 in the background | Image: National Assembly via YouTube, ROK Presidential Office Archives, ROK Ministry of National Defense, KBS News via YouTube, MBC News, Lee Jae Myung via Twitter, edited by Korea Pro

South Korea’s special counsel investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol concluded that the Dec. 3 martial law episode was not an isolated abuse of power but the result of prolonged institutional erosion that exposed vulnerabilities in civilian oversight of the military.

The findings, released at the close of a 180-day probe on Monday, depict a presidency that gradually reframed political opposition as a security threat and drew intelligence and operational commands into domestic political calculations.

South Korea’s special counsel investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol concluded that the Dec. 3 martial law episode was not an isolated abuse of power but the result of prolonged institutional erosion that exposed vulnerabilities in civilian oversight of the military.

The findings, released at the close of a 180-day probe on Monday, depict a presidency that gradually reframed political opposition as a security threat and drew intelligence and operational commands into domestic political calculations.

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