Seoul: The national police chief and the former Seoul police chief accused of involvement in President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid denied charges of playing a key role in an insurrection during their first pretrial hearing on Thursday. Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, and Kim Bong-sik, former chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, were indicted with physical detention last month on charges of mobilizing police forces to close off the National Assembly and organizing the arrest of key politicians during the brief imposition of martial law on Dec. 3. Cho has since been released on bail to undergo treatment for blood cancer.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Cho's attorney argued during the preparatory hearing at the Seoul Central District Court that Cho was merely performing his duties to maintain public order under martial law conditions and was misunderstood as assisting martial law operations. The attorney emphasized that Cho's actions prevented the success of martial law operations. Kim's lawyer also denied the insurrection charge leveled against his client.
The court has scheduled a second preparatory hearing for February 27. Meanwhile, Noh Sang-won, former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command, and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, both facing similar charges, also denied involvement in insurrection activities. Noh's attorney expressed doubts about the validity of the insurrection charges during his client's first preparatory hearing. A second preparatory hearing for former Defense Minister Kim will also be held at the court.
Preparatory hearings are designed to clarify the main disputes of a case and plan for future proceedings, and they do not require the attendance of the defendant.