South Korea's ousted president Yoon plotted martial law to eliminate rivals, probe finds

South Korea's ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol plotted for over a year to impose martial law to eliminate his political rivals and monopolize power, investigators concluded Monday.

- 

Yoon's martial law decree in December 2024 lasted only several hours and resulted in his rapid downfall.

Independent counsel Cho Eun-suk, who announced the six-month probe's result, also accused the former president and his military allies of ordering operations against North Korea, in a deliberate bid to stoke tensions and justify his plans to declare martial law.

Despite the lack of a serious response from North Korea, Cho said that Yoon declared martial law by branding the liberal-controlled legislature as "anti-state forces" that must be urgently removed.

There was no immediate reaction from Yoon, who is in jail while standing trials for high-stakes rebellion charges. Yoon has steadfastly maintained that his martial law declaration was a desperate attempt to draw public support for his fight against the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which obstructed his agenda while holding a majority in the legislature.