South Korea’s defence ministry suspended the country’s head of drone operations command over concerns that military drones were sent to North Korea illegally last year in preparations for former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s imposition of martial law.
Major general Kim Yong-dae, who was serving as the commander of the unit, was relieved from his duties on Monday with suspension pending, the defence ministry said.
Gen Kim was taken into custody on Friday without an arrest warrant regarding accusations that Mr Yoon ordered a covert drone operation into the North last year to inflame tension between the neighbours and justify his martial law decree.. Mr Yoon has denied the accusations.
Gen Kim’s charges include forging of official documents.
Mr Yoon's brief, ill-fated imposition of martial law on 3 December led to his indictment on charges that he directed a rebellion, which is punishable by life imprisonment or death. Prompted by concerns he might destroy evidence, Mr Yoon’s arrest could mark the start of a prolonged period in custody as investigators pursue additional charges.
Investigators claim the former president issued direct orders to the drone commander in October last year, instructing him to dispatch drones to North Korea without alerting the defence ministry or the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The move was likely aimed at provoking military escalation from North Korea to allegedly justify the martial law imposition.
However, the warrant request by a special counsel team led by Cho Eun-suk was rejected by the Seoul Central District Court on Monday noting that a detention would excessively restrict his defence rights.
Prosecutors and police in South Korea 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.
The South Korean commander has denied the allegations and said the incident was part of a “clandestine military operation” to respond to North Korea’s act of sending trash balloons, and not intended to provoke the neighbour.
In October last year, North Korea said the South had sent drones to scatter anti-North Korea leaflets over its capital city Pyongyang. North Korean state media also 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.
