South Korea: Prosecutors grill Army chief over martial law declaration

Seoul (The Uttam Hindu): South Korean Prosecutors investigating alleged treason following President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law imposition last week have questioned Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su, who had been named to lead the martial law command, informed officials said on Monday. Park was grilled by prosecutors as a witness at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office for about eight hours from 6 p.m. Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday, reports Yonhap news agency, quoting the officials. Prosecutors have called in Park and other military leaders who were under the command of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun during martial law enforcement on December 3 before planning to request an arrest warrant for Kim on treason and abuse of power charges.

Kim, who was put under emergency detention on December 6, was a central figure in Yoon's abrupt martial law declaration that lasted six hours before being withdrawn due to a National Assembly vote against it. Park told a National Assembly session on December 5 that he was not aware of the martial law declaration in advance. Prosecutors reportedly asked the Army chief what instructions and orders he received from whom before and after the martial law declaration and what roles he played in the process of distributing the martial law proclamation and deploying martial law troops.