Seoul: Kim Myung-soo, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), appeared before special prosecutors on Wednesday to face questioning regarding his alleged involvement in an insurrection linked to the imposition of martial law by former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the second comprehensive special counsel team, under the leadership of Kwon Chang-young, began interrogating Kim as a suspect in the morning. Kim is accused of performing key duties under the martial law imposed on December 3, 2024, which has been deemed an insurrection by a Seoul district court. This ruling resulted in a life imprisonment sentence for the former president. As a retired admiral, Kim is suspected of contributing to the insurrection by establishing a martial law command, despite witnessing the controversial deployment of martial law troops to the National Assembly.

Kwon's team considers Kim's alleged directive to the Army Special Warfare Command and the Capital Defense Command to prioritize martial law operations as evidence of complicity in the insurrection. During the investigation, the team reportedly found signals from the questioning of Lee Seung-oh, former chief director of operations at the JCS, and others, suggesting that subordinates had recommended withdrawing the troops. However, Kim allegedly ignored this proposal and did not issue a separate withdrawal order.

Before entering Kwon's office, Kim informed reporters that he was not previously aware of Yoon's martial law plans and maintained that the JCS was merely adhering to the established guidelines at that time.