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Cho Eun-suk

Cho Eun-suk

Special prosecutor / Independent counsel leading the martial-law investigation

Appears in 2 stories

Notable Quotes

"A year-long plot" to consolidate control. — Findings attributed to the investigation in reporting

"The greatest victims of the insurrection in this case are the people of this country. There are no mitigating circumstances." — January 13, 2026

Stories

South Korea fires its top cop for backing Yoon’s martial-law bid

Rule Changes

Directing continuing prosecutions and additional indictments tied to the plot

South Korea just made the quiet part of the 2024 martial-law crisis unmistakably loud: the country's top police officer is out for good. On December 18, 2025, the Constitutional Court removed National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho, ruling he helped former President Yoon Suk Yeol's power grab by using police to block lawmakers from reaching the National Assembly floor.

Updated Yesterday

South Korea's former president faces death penalty for self-coup

Rule Changes

Leading prosecution team

South Korea has not executed anyone in 28 years. Yet on January 13, 2026, prosecutors asked a Seoul court to sentence former President Yoon Suk Yeol to death. Three days later, a different court convicted him on obstruction of justice charges, handing down a five-year prison sentence—the first of eight criminal verdicts stemming from his six-hour martial law declaration on December 3, 2024. Yoon is the first South Korean president to face execution since military strongman Chun Doo-hwan in 1996, and the first to be criminally sentenced while the country's democratic institutions remain intact.

Updated Jan 20