Gen. Park Jae-yeol relieved of duty over insurrection charges

Gen. Park Jae-yeol, commander of the Strategic Command, has been relieved of his duties after being indicted on charges of participating in the Dec. 3 emergency martial law insurrection, military officials said Wednesday.

The military determined that Park could not carry out his duties as commander normally, given that he must appear in court for the ongoing insurrection trial.

Park served as commander of the 7th Corps at the time of the Dec. 3 emergency martial law declaration. The second comprehensive special prosecutor's office confirmed that Park actively participated in organizing regional martial law command structures alongside former Army Ground Operations Commander Gen. Kang Ho-pil, and indicted him without detention on charges of aiding and abetting insurrection.

Maj. Gen. Yun Bong-hui, chief of staff of the Strategic Command, is expected to serve as acting commander.

Col. Jo Seong-hyeon, head of the command and control team at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was also recently indicted without detention by the second special prosecutor's office, is likewise set to face personnel action.

The Ministry of National Defense said it plans to relieve him of his duties in line with the timing of a successor's appointment and will review appropriate personnel measures based on how the special prosecutor's case proceeds.

Jo commanded the 1st Security Battalion of the Army's Capital Defense Command and had previously received a military decoration for ordering troops moving toward the National Assembly during the martial law declaration not to cross Soganggyo Bridge. The second special prosecutor's office later confirmed that he had issued unlawful orders and indicted him without detention on charges of performing a key role in the insurrection.