The National Office of Investigation’s special investigative unit announced on Dec. 23 that a notebook belonging to Noh Sang-won, former commander of the Defense Intelligence Command (DIC), contained an entry suggesting the deliberate “provocation of North Korean attacks on the Northern Limit Line (NLL).” Noh, 62, is currently in custody on charges of plotting a rebellion related to the “Dec. 3 Emergency Martial Law” case. Investigators are probing whether Noh and his associates orchestrated North Korean provocations, which could potentially lead to charges of external treason.
The notebook reportedly lists detailed plans for implementing martial law, including measures targeting specific individuals and groups. Among the entries are references to politicians, journalists, judges, and others as “targets for retrieval,” interpreted as detentions, with additional mentions of “executions.” Confiscated on Nov. 15 during Noh’s emergency arrest at a fortune-telling studio in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, the 60-to-70-page document outlines strategies for martial law enforcement, such as the capture and detention of key figures.
A police official stated that while the notebook includes references to NLL provocations, it remains unverified whether any actions were carried out. Should evidence emerge that Noh and his associates incited North Korean provocations to justify martial law, the investigation could expand to include external treason charges, a crime involving actions or foreign influence that threaten national security.
The main opposition Democratic Party has alleged that the Defense Intelligence Command deployed operatives from its clandestine North Korea-focused unit, the Headquarters of Intelligence Detachment (HID), at its Pangyo office in Seongnam during the planned martial law period. According to the party, these operatives were allegedly prepared to stage incidents, such as explosions or fires, under the guise of North Korean agents to justify declaring and extending martial law.
The notebook’s content reportedly details the planned detention of individuals, including politicians, labor leaders, religious figures, judges, and public officials, some of whom were named explicitly. It also includes procedures for detention, methods of capture, and references to executions. The Defense Counterintelligence Command allegedly deployed about 200 operatives to key locations, such as the National Assembly and the National Election Commission building in Gwacheon, following the martial law declaration. Of the operatives, 49 were reportedly assigned to the National Assembly, tasked with arresting political figures and detaining them in an underground bunker at the Capital Defense Command in Seoul’s Gwanak District.
The investigation also focuses on Noh’s communications with then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. Call records obtained during a search reveal multiple conversations between Noh and Kim during the martial law planning period. Gen. Yeo In-hyung, former chief of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, who was set to lead the Joint Investigation Headquarters under the martial law framework, testified that Kim directed the deployment to the Election Commission and advised him to coordinate with Noh.
A police official described Noh as a central figure in the martial law scheme, serving as both its planner and executor. Despite being a civilian, Noh reportedly had unrestricted access to the defense minister’s residence and the Defense Intelligence Command’s Pangyo office for several months, where he actively drafted operational plans to seize the Election Commission and blockade the National Assembly. He is also accused of soliciting active-duty officers to participate in the martial law operation by offering them promises of promotions.
Noh, who served as the Defense Intelligence Command’s leader during the Park Geun-hye administration, was dishonorably discharged in 2018 after being convicted by a military court of sexually assaulting a female trainee. He was sentenced to one year and six months in prison without probation.
