South Korea's former security chief Kim Tae-hyo faces arrest warrant over alleged martial‑law justification

A second‑stage comprehensive special prosecutor team in South Korea has filed an arrest‑warrant request for Kim Tae‑hyo, former first deputy of the National Security Office. Prosecutors allege he committed "insurrection‑related duty" and abused his authority by transmitting messages to the United States and other allies that sought to justify the emergency martial‑law decree imposed on December 3. The alleged messages framed the decree as a defence of liberal democracy against parliamentary actions that threatened constitutional order.

The warrant request will be reviewed in a pre‑trial hearing expected later this week. The team noted that former National Security Office chief Shin Won‑shik was not charged with a warrant because his involvement was deemed comparatively minor.

If approved, Kim could be detained pending further investigation, marking a rare high‑level probe of officials linked to the 2022 emergency measures.