South Korean investigators have recovered a set of notes from a confidant of the now impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol indicating alleged plans for targeting and detaining members of a Catholic priests’ group. Source: UCA News.
The notes found at the residence of Roh Sang-won, the then chief of Defence Intelligence Command, indicated that the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice (CPAJ) was among the civilian targets, the Korea Herald reported on yesterday.
The individuals “collected” were to be detained at specific areas, possibly at military detention centres, the newspaper reported, citing a February 3 report from the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.
The priests’ association was established at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul in 1974 as part of Korea’s democratisation movement.
Over the years, it has evolved its focus to tackle pressing issues of each era including human rights and the anti-authoritarian Yushin movement in the 1970s, democratisation and unification efforts in the 1980s, and inter-Korean exchanges, environmental issues, and peace initiatives since the 1990s.
Officials declined to confirm specific content from the notes found at Mr Roh’s home, the Korea Herald reported.
Earlier in December, the police officials at the National Office of Investigation had stated that the notes specified politicians, media members and religious leaders as “subjects to collect”.
On December 3, 2024, then-president Yoon declared martial law in South Korea and dispatched troops to the parliament.
His attempt to suspend civilian rule lasted just six hours after lawmakers defied soldiers to vote it down. They later impeached the president, suspending him from duty.
Mr Yoon faces criminal charges of insurrection, one of a few crimes not subject to presidential immunity, meaning he could be sentenced to prison or, at worst, the death penalty.
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Yoon aide’s notes reveal plot to detain Korean Catholic priests (UCA News)
