Military takes disciplinary action against Army official over martial law involvement

Insignia of the Ministry of National Defense / Yonhap

The military recently took disciplinary action against a senior Army official over his involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law imposition last year, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

The chief of the Army's legal affairs office was recently slapped the second-lowest level of disciplinary action following an audit by the defense ministry, it said.

The official was one of the 34 people aboard a bus that departed for Seoul from the Army headquarters in Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province, shortly after the National Assembly voted to lift the martial law decree. They returned about 30 minutes after departure.

In August, the ministry's inspection bureau launched an internal probe to verify the roles of military units mobilized for Yoon's failed martial law bid, with the outcome expected to be released soon.

The ministry also recently launched a task force, led by the defense chief, to probe the involvement of military and ministry officials in the martial law imposition.