Ex-No. 2 at NIS accuses chief of condoning martial law

Hong Jang-won, the former first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, claims he was snubbed when he informed Cho Tae-yong, the NIS director, that President Yoon Suk Yeol asked for the spy agency to cooperate with the military in arresting political leaders on the night of martial law.

Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Park Sun-won on Saturday shared with reporters the text of a KakaoTalk messenger conversation he had with Hong earlier the same day, in which the former NIS deputy director made the claims. Park said Hong wanted him to release the conversation.

Hong told Park in the messages that he got a call from Yoon shortly after the president declared martial law on Tuesday. Hong said the president told him in the call to work with the Defense Counterintelligence Command to arrest the main opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung and the ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon.

When Hong told Cho about his conversation with Yoon, he said the NIS director ignored it.

“The president called me and ordered cooperation with the Defense Counterintelligence Command. When I told the NIS director that they were trying to round up Lee and Han, he turned his face away from me, and said, ‘Why don’t we talk about this tomorrow,’” Hong told Park in the messages.

Hong said Yoon might have come directly to him, without speaking with Cho first.

According to Hong, Cho did not actively protest against Yoon's plans at the Cabinet meeting held right before the president went on live TV and announced he was imposing martial law. Hong said the NIS director “stopped short of expressing concern.” “He connived with or, at the very least, condoned the imposition of martial law,” the former NIS deputy director said.

According to Hong’s call logs, which he provided to lawmakers, the NIS deputy director is on record as having spoken to Yoon on the phone a few hours before and shortly after the president declared martial law on Tuesday.

At 8 p.m. Tuesday, Hong received a phone call from Yoon. He called the president back 22 minutes later. He got another phone call from the president at 10:53 p.m. -- by which time the president had made the televised announcement.

Hong also spoke with Yeo In-hyung, who was suspended from his post as the Defense Counterintelligence Commander on Friday, four times between 10:45 p.m. and 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.

Yeo told reporters Saturday he does not remember what he said in his phone calls with Hong during the hours martial law was in effect. Yeo claimed that, like others, he found out Yoon was declaring martial law from the TV address.

On suspicions surrounding Yeo's involvement in the president’s purported plans to arrest political leaders, Yeo avoided a direct answer and said he had a role dictated by the martial decree. “All those serving in the military feel they are obliged to follow orders,” he said.

The NIS said in a brief statement Saturday that its director, Cho, “has never received any orders from the president about arresting politicians.” The intelligence agency said Hong’s claims of having informed Cho about the president’s orders were “not at all true.” “The former deputy director did not share with any member of the NIS, including the director, about any such orders he may have received from the president,” it said.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Cho denied he was aware of the president directing Hong to provide assistance to the Defense Counterintelligence Command in the plans to arrest political leaders.