A former senior official of South Korea’s spy agency refuted claims that he passed a message to the United States in favor of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s unsuccessful martial law attempt. Hong Jang-won, the ex-first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), faced allegations of involvement in the purported insurrection. The NIS reportedly reached out to US intelligence agencies following Yoon’s martial law declaration on December 3, 2024.
Hong defended himself against the accusations during questioning at the special counsel team’s office near Seoul. After a lengthy nine-hour interrogation, Hong expressed confidence in clarifying any misunderstandings surrounding the issue. Notably, Hong had previously played a pivotal role as a “whistleblower” in investigations and court proceedings linked to the martial law controversy.
The special counsel team, under Kwon Chang-young’s leadership, has implicated Hong, former NIS chief Cho Tae-yong, and four other former political appointees from the spy agency on charges related to the alleged insurrection. The team disclosed that they substantiated the accusations against the six individuals after seizing documents justifying the martial law declaration during a raid on the NIS in April and interviewing approximately 40 NIS personnel.
When questioned by the media, Hong denied all allegations and claimed ignorance of the documents reportedly uncovered in the recent NIS raid. However, he refrained from responding to inquiries regarding potential communications between NIS officials handling international affairs and their American counterparts.
