Overview
- South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously removed National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho, ruling he enforced unconstitutional orders by blocking lawmakers and sending police to election offices during the decree.
- The Supreme Court’s National Court Administration said it will set up a dedicated tribunal with guidelines for handling insurrection, treason and related cases of national importance, applying to new filings and on appeal for ongoing cases.
- The defense ministry scheduled a Friday disciplinary committee to weigh penalties for eight general-level officers tied to the martial law bid, including Kwak Jong-keun, Yeo In-hyung and Lee Jin-woo, after launching a new military inquiry this week.
- Former President Yoon testified at a military trial, apologized to commanders and said they acted on his orders, while asserting he intended the declaration to be brief and criticizing recent counterintelligence personnel changes.
- The Seoul Central District Court said it will deliver a Jan. 16 verdict in Yoon’s obstruction and records-deletion case under the special-probe deadline, as a separate Seoul criminal panel has already found the 2024 decree unconstitutional and unlawful.