Former National Intelligence Service(NIS) Director Cho Tae-yong has been placed in pretrial detention on charges of aiding the December 3 martial law declaration.
 
The Seoul Central District Court placed Cho in pretrial detention, citing concerns that the former spy chief could destroy evidence.
 
Last week, the special counsel team led by Cho Eun-seok sought Cho Tae-yong's detention on multiple charges, including violations of the NIS Act, dereliction of duty, perjury, destruction of evidence and falsification of official documents, all related to the martial law declaration.

Prosecutors say the former spy chief failed to report the martial law plan to the National Assembly despite being aware of it before former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s televised address to the nation.
 
The special counsel team also suspects that Cho violated his duty of political neutrality by providing CCTV footage of former NIS Deputy Director Hong Jang-won during the martial law period only to the then-ruling People Power Party, while withholding footage of himself from the Democratic Party.
 
He stands accused of falsely testifying that he never received any instructions related to martial law at the National Assembly.