Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun ordered the South Korean military to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles to Pyongyang in October, seemingly to manufacture a justification for President Yoon Suk Yeol to declare martial law, a lawmaker claimed.

“I received a tip-off from the military and deemed it credible,” said Rep. Park Beom-kye of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Monday.

Park added that specific details of the operation appear to have been planned by the Defense Counterintelligence Command under then-Commander Yeo In-hyung, highlighting Yeo’s connection with Kim -- as Yeo was a junior to Kim at the same high school.

Earlier in October, North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang and warned that any further provocations would be met with immediate action.

Kim, who was the defense minister at the time, denied the accusations, but later changed his stance, stating that he “could not confirm,” citing the complexity of security concerns and the possibility that North Korea had made up the incident itself.

This allegation adds to growing speculation that Kim sought to escalate tensions as part of efforts to prepare for Yoon's martial law declaration last week.

“When North Korea sent balloons filled with trash and propaganda toward the South, Kim was even said to have demanded warning shots,” Park added. Despite Kim’s demands, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reportedly declined to act.

Kim, who stepped down Thursday, is currently in custody following his arrest on Sunday, as prosecutors detained him to investigate allegations that he advised President Yoon to declare martial law.

He has also been barred from leaving the country after police imposed an emergency travel ban on Thursday.