Seoul: Cho Tae-yong, the former chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), along with five other ex-political appointees from the spy agency, have been officially charged with involvement in an insurrection connected to the imposition of martial law by former President Yoon Suk Yeol. This development was announced by a special counsel team on Monday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the group, which includes former NIS deputy director Hong Jang-won, is accused of executing significant tasks related to the alleged insurrection. The charges were brought forward by the second comprehensive special counsel team led by Kwon Chang-young. Assistant Special Counsel Kim Ji-mi revealed during a media briefing that a search warrant was executed against the NIS last month, and around 40 officials were questioned as part of the investigation.

The investigation uncovered that Cho organized meetings with NIS political appointees and department heads following discussions with Yoon. The special counsel team also found evidence suggesting that the NIS attempted to contact U.S. intelligence agencies after Yoon declared martial law on December 3, 2024, to communicate a justification for the emergency measure. Cho has been detained since his arrest and indictment in November for neglecting his duties by not reporting the martial law plan to the National Assembly in advance.

Cho declined a request to appear before Kwon's team on Tuesday, as noted by investigators. Meanwhile, Hong is expected to meet with the team on Friday for questioning. In a related action, Kwon's team conducted a raid on the home and office of former Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo last month. Kim is suspected of having explained the legitimacy of the martial law to major allies through the foreign ministry. He appeared again before investigators on Monday after a prior questioning session on Friday.