Ex-drone commander removed from office over martial law involvement

▲ This Sept. 18, 2025, file photo shows Kim Yong-dae, the former chief of the military's Drone Operations Command. (Yonhap)

martial law-commander

Ex-drone commander removed from office over martial law involvement

SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- The former chief of the Drone Operations Command has been removed from office Thursday in disciplinary action over his involvement in the botched martial law imposition in late 2024, military sources said.

The defense ministry imposed the measure, the strongest disciplinary action, against Maj. Gen. Kim Yong-dae who is suspected of dispatching drones to North Korea in October 2024 following orders from former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, according to the sources.

Kim allegedly conducted the operation without following relevant reporting procedures.

A special counsel team earlier concluded the alleged dispatch was aimed at inciting the North's retaliation, which could be then used as a pretext for Yoon's martial law imposition two months later.

Without disclosing the level of punishment, the defense ministry said it has imposed "heavy" disciplinary action against a general-level officer who has been indicted without physical detention.

Kim Yong-dae was indicted in November on charges of obstructing official duties and soliciting the drafting of false official documents by the special counsel team that also charged Yoon over allegations of sending the drones.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved