Taipei: Taiwan’s Presidential Office has dismissed a report from a South Korean newspaper alleging that a military intelligence official, under the administration of the now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, sought Taiwan’s backing for South Korea’s martial law declaration in December 2024.

According to Focus Taiwan, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo stated that the assertion by The Hankyoreh, which claimed a South Korean official requested Taiwan’s support for martial law declared by Yoon on December 3, 2024, was “fabrication with obvious malicious intent.” Although Yoon’s martial law declaration was overturned by parliament hours later, it triggered a political crisis in South Korea, contributing to Yoon’s downfall.

Kuo emphasized that routine security exchanges between Taiwan and its democratic partners have been ongoing for years, focusing primarily on regional security rather than the internal affairs of any country. She reiterated that Taiwan does not interfere in or comment on the internal
affairs of other countries and demanded a prompt correction of the report.

The comments from Taiwan came shortly after South Korean media reported that an anonymous military source claimed Moon Sang-ho, a former intelligence commander involved in the martial law investigation, visited Taiwan in late November to meet with his local counterpart. The source alleged that Moon’s trip aimed to gain Taipei’s support for Yoon’s martial law plan, although the report also cited Moon denying this allegation.

This report emerged amidst an ongoing investigation by a South Korean special prosecution team into foreign exchange crimes involving military personnel and intelligence operations reportedly linked to last year’s martial law declaration.