Seoul: A special counsel team said Wednesday it has requested an arrest warrant for Kim Jong-uk, former commissioner general of the Coast Guard, over his alleged role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid in 2024.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the team, led by special counsel Kwon Chang-young, suspects that Kim convened a virtual conference of the Coast Guard leadership shortly after Yoon declared martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, to discuss dispatching investigators to a joint martial law investigation headquarters. This move has sparked significant controversy, given the political ramifications of such an operation.

Kwon's team has also filed for an arrest warrant for Ahn Sung-sik, former director general for planning and coordination of the Coast Guard. It is suspected that Ahn ordered officials to clear and reorganize detention facilities in anticipation of a large number of incoming detainees under the martial law order. The actions of both officials are under scrutiny as they face charges of assisting an insurrection and abuse of power.

This investigation marks a critical turn as previously, a special counsel team led by Cho Eun-suk decided not to press charges against Ahn due to insufficient evidence. However, Kwon's team has reopened the probe after uncovering suspicions of complicity, expanding the investigation to include Kim on June 10. The legal and political implications of these developments continue to unfold as the cases progress through the judicial system.