South Korean prosecutors seek drone chief's arrest in investigation into former President
Prosecutors stepped up a probe into the drone operation after indicting the jailed ex-President Yoon on Saturday on additional charges for his short-lived declaration of martial law in December.
They had summoned the unit's chief, Kim Yong-dae, on Thursday regarding accusations that Yoon ordered a covert drone operation into the North last year to inflame tension between the neighbours to justify his martial law decree.
Yoon has denied the accusations.
Kim told reporters the incident was part of a 'clandestine military operation' in response to trash balloons sent from the North and not intended to provoke the neighbouring nation.
In October, North Korea said the South had sent drones to scatter anti-North Korea leaflets over Pyongyang, and published photos of the remains of a crashed South Korean military drone.
South Korea at the time declined to disclose whether it had sent the drones.
In a statement on Sunday, the prosecution office said it had sought an arrest warrant for Kim. Media said a court hearing is planned for Monday afternoon to review the request for a warrant.
He was arrested on Friday without a court warrant, media said. Prosecutors and police are permitted to make an 'emergency arrest' if they have a strong belief someone is guilty of a serious crime and may flee or destroy evidence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
23 minutes ago
- CBC
Why Trump can't shake the Epstein files
When the Trump administration announced earlier this month that it was dropping its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and would not be releasing any further "Epstein files," it was already an unpopular decision among the MAGA faithful — many of whom Donald Trump won over by leaning into conspiracy theories about pedophilic political elites. In the weeks since, the rift has only widened. New revelations have come to light about Trump's relationship with Epstein, and what Trump knew about what was in the files and when. Trump has been on the defensive, calling the reports fake. But it doesn't appear to be working, with some of Trump's staunchest supporters saying they now feel "betrayed." Anna Merlan, a senior reporter with Mother Jones who covers disinformation, explains why the Trump administration can't seem to make the Epstein files go away.
Canada News.Net
an hour ago
- Canada News.Net
EAM Jaishankar discusses deepening bilateral cooperation with South Korean counterpart
New Delhi [India], July 28 (ANI): External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar spoke to the newly appointed Foreign Minister of South Korea, Cho Hyun, on Monday and discussed deepening bilateral ties between the two countries. He expressed his best wishes to FM Cho Hyun for a successful tenure. Sharing the details in a post on X, he said, 'Good to speak with @FMChoHyun of RoK this morning. Conveyed my best wishes for a successful tenure. Discussed deepening of our bilateral cooperation.' Earlier, on July 21, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar congratulated Cho Hyun on his appointment as the new Foreign Minister of South Korea. In a post on X, he expressed confidence in working together to further strengthen the ties between the two countries and toward achieving a Special Strategic Partnership between New Delhi and Seoul. He wrote, 'Congratulate Amb Cho Hyun on his appointment as Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea. Look forward to working together to further strengthen our Special Strategic Partnership.' On July 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a delegation of special envoys from South Korea and highlighted the completion of 10 years of India-South Korea partnership. He emphasised that close collaboration between the two countries plays a crucial role in the Indo-Pacific region. On the same day, the EAM also met a delegation of special envoys from the Republic of Korea (RoK), led by former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, which was visiting India and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties in key areas, including economy, technology, defence, maritime security, and people-to-people exchanges. Jaishankar shared details of the meeting on his X account. He wrote, 'Delighted to meet RoK President Lee Jae Myung's delegation of Special Envoys to India led by former PM Kim Boo-kyum this morning in Delhi. Discussed economic, technology, defence and maritime cooperation. As well as expanding people-to-people exchanges.' The meeting takes place amid renewed efforts from both sides to enhance cooperation across various sectors, including green hydrogen, shipbuilding, investment, semiconductors, and regional security, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. The visit followed a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada last month. Both leaders expressed commitment to working together in trade, investment, green energy, and emerging technology sectors. (ANI)
CTV News
8 hours ago
- CTV News
Powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim rejects outreach by South's new president
This photo provided by the North Korean government, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, delivers a speech during a national meeting against the coronavirus, in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Aug. 10, 2022. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File) SEOUL, South Korea — The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rebuffed overtures by South Korea's new liberal government, saying Monday that North Korea has no interests in talks with South Korea no matter what proposal its rival offers. Kim Yo Jong's comments suggest again that North Korea, now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia, has no intentions of returning to diplomacy with South Korea and the U.S. anytime soon. But experts said North Korea could change its course if it thinks it cannot maintain the same booming ties with Russia when the Russia-Ukraine war nears an end. 'We clarify once again the official stand that no matter what policy is adopted and whatever proposal is made in Seoul, we have no interest in it and there is neither a reason to meet nor an issue to be discussed with' South Korea, Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media. It's North Korea's first official statement on the government of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, which took office in early June. In an effort to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, Lee's government has halted anti-Pyongyang frontline loudspeaker broadcasts, taken steps to ban activists from flying balloons with propaganda leaflets across the border and repatriated North Koreans who were drifted south in wooden boats months earlier. Kim Yo Jong called such steps 'sincere efforts' by Lee's government to develop ties. But she said the Lee government won't be much different from its predecessors, citing what it calls 'their blind trust' to the military alliance with the U.S. and attempt to 'stand in confrontation' with North Korea. She mentioned the upcoming summertime South Korea-U.S. military drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. North Korea has been shunning talks with South Korea and the U.S. since leader Kim Jong Un's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over international sanctions. North Korea has since focused on building more powerful nuclear weapons targeting its rivals. North Korea now prioritizes cooperation with Russia by sending troops and conventional weapons to support its war against Ukraine, likely in return for economic and military assistance. South Korea, the U.S. and others say Russia may even give North Korea sensitive technologies that can enhance its nuclear and missile programs. Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has repeatedly boasted of his personal ties with Kim Jong Un and expressed intent to resume diplomacy with him. But North Korea hasn't publicly responded to Trump's overture. In early 2024, Kim Jong Un ordered the rewriting of the constitution to remove the long-running state goal of a peaceful Korean unification and cement South Korea as an 'invariable principal enemy.' That caught many foreign experts by surprise because it was seen as eliminating the idea of shared statehood between the war-divided Koreas and breaking away with his predecessors' long-cherished dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North's terms. Many experts say Kim likely aims to guard against South Korean cultural influence and bolster his family's dynastic rule. Others say Kim wants legal room to use his nuclear weapons against South Korea by making it as a foreign enemy state, not a partner for potential unification which shares a sense of national homogeneity. Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press
