Prosecutors investigating the December 3 martial law declaration will require more time to determine whether former President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to incite a military clash with North Korea.

Assistant counselor Park Ji-young said in a briefing on Wednesday that the special counsel team will not meet its initial indictment deadline of the end of October.

Park said the team is thoroughly cross-checking details while taking into account national interests and military morale as it investigates whether Yoon ordered a covert drone incursion into the North around two months before declaring martial law, hoping that an inter-Korean clash would justify the decree.

She said more time is necessary to finalize the list of suspects and specific allegations, but that a decision will be announced next month.

Prosecutors believe that the drones in question crashed near Pyongyang, exposing military secrets, which it views as "aiding foreign aggression."