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Park Chan-kyong

Nearly a week after his failed bid to declare martial law, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is facing fresh accusations of attempting to provoke Pyongyang to justify his much-hated decision.
A senior politician from South Korea’s main opposition party alleged on Monday that the country’s military might have orchestrated a drone flight near the border with Seoul’s bitter rival in October.
Park Beom-kye of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) claimed the incident was part of a scheme by Yoon to extend his grip on power.
“It appears this was intended to create a pretext for imposing martial law,” Park said, citing a military source, as quoted by Yonhap News Agency.
Park also pointed to Yeo In-hyung, head of the military’s anti-espionage unit and a close ally of former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, as a key figure in the alleged plot.
Kim and Yeo have been banned from leaving the country as authorities investigate their roles in the failed coup.


Kim resigned as defence minister last week following his involvement in Yoon’s brief declaration of martial law, which parliament swiftly overturned. He was later placed under emergency arrest on charges of insurrection while Yeo has been suspended from his duties.
In October, North Korea reported finding unmanned aerial vehicles near Pyongyang, accusing Seoul of sending them and warning of retaliation. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) declined to comment on the allegations, maintaining its policy of not confirming or denying drone infiltrations.
Park on Monday further claimed that Kim had sought to provoke a military clash with North Korea, criticising army commanders for not firing warning shots at balloons launched from the North. These trash-filled balloons have been flown into South Korea in retaliation against defectors and activists sending anti-regime leaflets into North Korea.
Local media previously reported that JCS Chairman Kim Myung-soo had refused orders from Kim Yong-hyun to strike North Korean balloon launch sites.
However, the JCS denied these reports, emphasising that no such orders were ever issued, even though discussions had taken place on how to respond to the North’s provocative acts.

The defence ministry did not comment on the allegations.
But the unification ministry had earlier said the North was raising tensions to rally support for its fragile regime and tighten control of its population. The sudden “fuss” about supposed drones flown by Seoul targeting the North were designed for the same purpose, the ministry said at that time.
The unification ministry’s spokesman Koo Byung-sam said on Monday that his ministry’s comments at the time of the incident did not mean the drone incident was “fabricated” by the North.
“We’ve said the North has a tendency to exaggerate external threats for its internal needs”, Koo said.
Military experts also cast doubt on the drones’ origins.

Lee Il-woo, an analyst from the Korea Defense Network, said while the drones resembled South Korean military equipment at first glance, closer inspection revealed otherwise.
“Their navigation routes and design suggest they were not military-grade drones,” Lee told This Week in Asia, adding that their trajectory – flying further north rather than returning south – was inconsistent with an alleged mission to distribute propaganda in Pyongyang.
“And we have to take into account the fact that opposition parties are revving up to impeach Yoon,” Lee added.
Another researcher who works at a government-financed think tank said he needed more data to determine the drones’ nature.
But critics said Yoon and Kim Yong-hyun might have been tempted to prepare the people ahead of the martial law declaration by exaggerating threats from Pyongyang.
Yang Moo-jin, head of the University of North Korean Studies, argued that it was plausible the South Korean military could have orchestrated the drone incident to justify martial law. “Historical precedents show such tactics have been used by authoritarian leaders in the past,” he said.


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South Korea

South Korea’s Yoon faces allegations of plotting to provoke Pyongyang for martial law

TV screens show footage of an address by South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol, at an electronic market in Seoul on Saturday. Photo: AFP

A photo released by North Korean state media last month reportedly showing leaflets scattered by South Korea in areas near the border. Photo: AFP

Protesters calling for the ouster of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: AFP

South Korea’s President Yoon banned from travelling abroad amid martial law probe

A caricature depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is seen near the ruling People Power Party’s head office in Seoul on Monday. The sign reads “Arrest”. Photo: AP

South Korea’s ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon at a press conference on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

South Korea ruling party boss says President Yoon ‘effectively suspended’

Protesters take part in a rally calling for the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

A demonstrator holds a poster calling for the ouster of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Protesters attend a rally held by conservative groups in Seoul on Saturday. Photo: AP

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol bows at the end of his speech in Seoul on Saturday. Photo: South Korean Presidential Office/Yonhap via AP

South Korea’s Yoon seen to be unwavering as impeachment, calls for exit loom

Protesters hold candles and placards calling for the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon hee, during a rally outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Protesters supporting South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol rally against opposition party’s politicians in Seoul. Photo: AP

People Power Party’s chief Han Dong-hoon speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul on Friday. Photo: Yonhap/AFP

South Korean opposition lawmakers and civil society activists during a press conference to urge the passage of Yoon’s impeachment motion at the National Assembly in Seoul on Friday. Photo: AFP

Walls close in on South Korea’s Yoon with police probe, US criticism and impeachment

Posters with images of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at a rally calling for his ouster in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: AFP

South Korea army chief General Park An-su answers questions beside Vice Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho before the National Assembly Defence Committee in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: AFP

People protest against South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed martial law bid and call for his resignation in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

This Week in Asia

Politics

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Asia

East Asia

An opposition politician claims a drone flight near the border between the two Koreas was planned as a pretext for imposing martial law


An opposition politician claims a drone flight near the border between the two Koreas was planned as a pretext for imposing martial law.
