Indo-Pacific — 2026-04-09

South Korea Special Counsel Raids Former National Security Official Over Martial Law Insurrection

South Korea's special counsel executed search warrants at the residence and university office of Kim Tae-hyo, former First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, on charges of participating in insurrection related to the December 3, 2024 martial law incident. Kim is accused of calling US Ambassador Philip Goldberg during the crisis to argue martial law was "unavoidable," though Kim claims Goldberg initiated the call. This marks the fourth special counsel investigation into the former Yoon Suk-yeol administration and extends the probe into the national security apparatus's role in the martial law declaration.

Analysis
Kim Tae-hyo's alleged call to the US Ambassador during the martial law crisis, regardless of who initiated it, reveals the extent to which South Korea's national security apparatus attempted to manage international perceptions during the constitutional crisis. The fourth special counsel investigation signals prosecutors are methodically expanding from the immediate coup participants to the broader national security establishment.

1 sources

Special Counsel Raids Former National Security Official Kim Tae-hyo - Seoul Economic Daily