A special counsel investigating Korea’s failed attempt to impose martial law late last year said Monday that former President Yoon Suk Yeol had begun laying the groundwork for the declaration as early as October 2023, more than a year before it was carried out. The counsel said that 24 people — including Yoon and several former senior officials from the government, military and political establishment — have been indicted in connection with the case. Speaking at a press briefing, Cho Eun-seok, the special counsel, said the investigation had found that Yoon and his associates planned to use the military to suspend the functioning of the political system and paralyze the National Assembly, replacing it with an emergency legislative body to seize legislative and judicial authority. The aim, Cho said, was to neutralize opposition forces and consolidate power through the imposition of martial law. According to the findings, preparations intensified around the time of military reshuffles in late 2023 and later expanded to include personnel appointments, operational planning and repeated