Seoul Central District Court on June 15 rejected the arrest warrant sought by the special prosecutor's team for former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-su. The court said there was room for dispute about the core allegations, making it necessary to protect his right to defense, and that there was no risk of flight or evidence destruction.

Three colleagues examined the same day—former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Jeong Jin-pal, former Operational Readiness Inspector Lee Jae-sik, and former Army Policy Director Kim Heung-jun—were ordered detained, the court citing risk of evidence destruction. YTN and Hankook Ilbo reported.

Background on the alleged role in the insurrection

The suspects are alleged to have watched from the Joint Chiefs' command center on December 3, 2024 as troops were deployed to the National Assembly and elsewhere, and to have helped constitute the martial-law command without attempting to stop the deployment. The special prosecutor has argued they performed key tasks in the alleged insurrection.

Kim avoids detention but remains under investigation as a suspect; the special prosecutor is understood to be weighing whether to gather more evidence and refile.

The ruling is seen as a key turning point in how the emergency martial-law investigation plays out legally, and legal arguments over where command-chain responsibility lies are expected to continue.