Special counsel seeks 20-year prison term for Daegu mayor over martial law involvement

The Korea Times - Sep 30, 2026

A special counsel team on Wednesday requested a 20-year prison term for Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho on charges of helping former President Yoon Suk Yeol maintain martial law in 2024 when he was the floor leader of the then ruling People Power Party. Choo is accused of changing the venue of an emergency party meeting three times on Dec. 3, 2024, after Yoon declared martial law, to keep lawmakers from taking part in a parliamentary vote on ending the emergency decree. Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team indicted him on charges of playing a key role in an insurrection. "The defendant neglected his constitutional duty as a lawmaker to monitor and check martial law, and chose the opposite path of actively joining the insurrection," a special counsel team member said during Choo's trial at the Seoul Central District Court.

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N. Korea denies responsibility for DMZ mine blast, warns S. Korea of retaliation

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UN Command says Armistice Agreement violation occurred over DMZ mine blast

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Int'l tribunal dismisses Iranian investor's $566 mil. claim against Seoul

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Spy agency says Ukraine first requested confidentiality over transfer of N. Korean POWs

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IVE member Jang Wonyoung's first Dior show — and a meeting with BLACKPINK's Jisoo

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