Yeo In-hyung
Yeo In-hyung | |
|---|---|
여인형 | |
Yeo in 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1969 (age 56–57) North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea |
| Other political affiliations | Chungam Faction (2022-2025) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Chungam High School Korea Military Academy |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Republic of Korea Army |
| Years of service | since 1992 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 여인형 |
| Hanja | 呂寅兄 |
| RR | Yeo Inhyeong |
| MR | Yŏ Inhyŏng |
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Yeo In-hyung (Korean: 여인형; born 1969) is a South Korean former three-star army lieutenant general who served as the Commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command from 2023 to 2025. Yeo has served in the Republic of Korea Army since 1992. He is widely known for his role in the 2024 martial law crisis.
In 2023, Yeo became a heavily controversial figure within the military and government, as he idolized former dictator Chun Doo-hwan and his successor Roh Tae-woo. That, and the fact that Yeo held gatherings in private settings with key military figures who graduated from he and President Yoon Suk Yeol's alma mater, Chungam High School, led to rumors that Yeo's appointment as Defense Counterintelligence Commander was a part of a potential strategy to center the military around President Yoon's personal agenda.
On 3 December 2024, President Yoon ultimately declared emergency martial law across the nation. Following the declaration, Yeo gave the National Intelligence Service a list of individuals that he, President Yoon, and Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun wanted arrested. Yeo then ordered several operatives from the Intelligence Protection Group of the Defense Security Command to raid the server room located on the second floor of the National Election Commission headquarters. The martial law order was lifted by the National Assembly only a few hours later.
After the martial law order was lifted, Yeo's Defense Counterintelligence Commander duties were suspended by the Ministry of Justice. On 14 December, Yeo was arrested for his role in the declaration on charges of insurrection, obstruction of justice, and abuse of power. On 6 February 2025, a leave of absence from prosecution was issued against Yeo by the military for his imprisonment. His trial began on 8 July, where he confessed to the charges of leading an insurrection and abuse of power, but not obstruction of justice, claiming to have heavily regretted his involvement in the declaration. Yeo likely faces either life imprisonment or the death penalty if found guilty on all counts.