25/02/04 Yoon aide’s notes reveal plot to detain Korean Catholic priests

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Members of Catholic Priests' Association for Justice were among civilian targets, says media report

Members of the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice (CPAJ) pose for a commemorative photo in front of Myeongdong Cathedral after the 50th anniversary Mass in September 2024. (Photo: cpbc.co.kr)

By UCA News reporter

Published: February 04, 2025 11:32 AM GMT

Updated: February 04, 2025 11:46 AM GMT

South Korean investigators have recovered a set of notes from a confidant of the now impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol indicating alleged plans for targeting and detaining members of a Catholic priests' group.

The notes found at the residence of Roh Sang-won, the then chief of Defense Intelligence Command, indicated that the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice (CPAJ) was among the civilian targets, the Korea Herald reported on Feb. 4.

The individuals “collected,” were to be detained in at specific areas, possibly at military detention centers, the newspaper reported citing a Feb. 3 report from the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.

The priests’ association was established as part of Korea’s democratization movement on Sept. 26, 1974, at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul. Over the years, it has evolved its focus to tackle pressing issues of each era including human rights and the anti-authoritarian Yushin movement in the 1970s, democratization and unification efforts in the 1980s, and inter-Korean exchanges, environmental issues, and peace initiatives since the 1990s.

Officials declined to confirm‎ specific content from the notes found at Roh's home, the Korea Herald reported.

According to local reports, the National Forensic Service, which analyzed the handwriting on the notes, was unable to definitively determine whether they had been written by Roh who is currently under criminal investigation for his part in Yoon's alleged insurrection.

Earlier in December, the police officials at the National Office of Investigation had stated that the notes specified politicians, media members and religious leaders as "subjects to collect.”

Allegedly, the notes also had plans to induce a North Korean attack at the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between the Koreas.

On Dec. 3, 2024, then-President Yoon declared martial law in South Korea and dispatched troops to the parliament.

His short-lived attempt to suspend civilian rule lasted just six hours after lawmakers defied soldiers to vote it down. They later impeached the president, suspending him from duty.

Yoon faces criminal charges of insurrection, one of a few crimes not subject to presidential immunity, meaning he could be sentenced to prison or, at worst, the death penalty.

Yoon is now facing an impeachment trial at South Korea’s Constitutional Court. The fifth hearing of his impeachment trial was set for 2 pm on Feb. 4.

The hearing will feature former military commanders and the deputy spy chief.

Yoon is also slated to face a separate criminal trial, for insurrection, which is set to commence on Feb. 20, the Korea Herald reported.