This composite image shows former President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and special counsel Cho Eun-suk. Yonhap
South Korea’s special counsel has launched a series of raids across key military and government sites as part of a deepening investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The probe centers on allegations that Yoon orchestrated a covert drone operation into North Korea to provoke a military response, which would have been used to justify his failed declaration of martial law last December, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.
Authorities suspect the operation could amount to treason. On Monday, investigators raided 24 locations, including the Drone Operations Command (DOC), the Ministry of Defense, the Defense Counterintelligence Command, the National Security Office within the presidential office, and the home of Major General Kim Yong-dae, the current head of the drone command.
The special counsel alleges that Yoon instructed the military to send surveillance and leaflet-dropping drones into North Korean territory in October 2024. A recording reportedly obtained by investigators includes a military officer claiming that Yoon directly ordered preparations for the cross-border mission between October and November—just weeks before his martial law decree.
The drone operation is believed to have included the deliberate modification of a UAV to carry anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets, despite serious risks of the drone being intercepted or crashing. In October, North Korea claimed to have discovered such a crashed drone with leaflets and issued a stern warning of retaliation if the incident were repeated.
Investigators are also probing a potential cover-up by the South Korean military, which allegedly attempted to conceal the drone mission.
This is the latest escalation in a growing scandal that began with Yoon’s controversial attempt to invoke martial law last December. While the move failed, it prompted an initial insurrection investigation, which now appears to be evolving into full-fledged treason charges.
No official comments have been made yet by Yoon or his legal team.