The Presidential Office yesterday rejected a report by a South Korean newspaper saying that a military intelligence official under former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol sought Taiwan’s support for South Korea’s declaration of martial law in December last year.
In a statement, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) called the claims made in the report by Hankyoreh newspaper a “fabrication with obvious malicious intent.”
Yoon’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 was overturned by the parliament hours later, but the incident plunged South Korea into a political crisis and led to Yoon’s downfall.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
ROUTINE EXCHANGES
Kuo said routine security exchanges between Taiwan and its democratic partners have been ongoing for years, focusing primarily on regional security rather than the internal affairs of any country.
Taiwan “[does] not interfere in or comment on the internal affairs of other countries,” Kuo said, adding that the government demanded a prompt correction of the report.
Kuo’s comments came shortly after the newspaper cited an anonymous military source as saying that Moon Sang-ho, a former intelligence commander ensnared in the martial law investigation, traveled to Taiwan at the end of November last year to meet with his local counterpart.
DENIALS
The source claimed that the purpose of Moon’s trip was to seek Taipei’s support for Yoon’s martial law plan, although the report also cited Moon as denying the claim.
The report surfaced during an ongoing investigation by a South Korean special prosecution team into foreign exchange crimes involving military personnel and intelligence operations allegedly linked to last year’s declaration of martial law.
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