Ex-spy chief arrested on multiple charges including dereliction of duty, perjury

Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Cho Tae-yong was arrested Wednesday on multiple charges including dereliction of duty in connection with former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law imposition.

Cho Tae-yong, a former chief of the National Intelligence Service, leaves the Seoul Central District Court on Nov. 11 after attending his arrest warrant hearing. [JANG JIN-YOUNG]

Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Cho Tae-yong was arrested Wednesday on multiple charges including dereliction of duty in connection with former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law imposition.

The Seoul Central District Court judge who handled Cho’s pretrial detention hearing the previous day issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday on the grounds that “there are concerns he could destroy evidence.”

A special counsel team led by Cho Eun-seok requested the warrant last week, accusing Cho of violating the National Intelligence Service Korea Act’s ban on political involvement, dereliction of duty, perjury, destruction of evidence, and falsification and use of official documents, as well as violating the Act on Testimony and Appraisal before the National Assembly.

Prosecutors allege that Cho failed to report plans for the declaration of martial law to the National Assembly, even though he was aware of them before ousted President Yoon’s televised address to the nation on Dec. 3, 2024.

Cho also allegedly received a report from former NIS First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won after the declaration that “the martial law forces were moving to arrest Lee Jae Myung and Han Dong-hoon,” then the respective leaders of the Democratic Party (DP) and People Power Party (PPP), but again did not inform the Assembly.

Investigators said Cho violated the NIS’s political neutrality by providing surveillance camera footage showing Hong’s movements only to the then-ruling PPP, while withholding footage showing his own movements from the then-opposition DP.

Cho is also accused of lying during Yoon’s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, submitting false statements and documents to the National Assembly, and taking part in deleting encrypted phone records belonging to Yoon and Hong.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the special counsel reportedly presented a 482-page written opinion and 151 PowerPoint slides to argue for Cho’s detention.

Cho has denied most of the allegations. He claimed he had not been fully briefed on the details of the arrests at the time and said the surveillance footage was shared to clarify the controversy, not for political purposes.

However, regarding suspicions that he gave false testimony to the Constitutional Court and the Assembly, Cho acknowledged that he “did make categorical statements.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM EUN-BIN [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]