Yoon ‘never intended full martial law in South Korea’
Ousted defence minister says he recommended measure but President overruled calls for broader military deployment
23 January 2025 - 15:30
byHyunsu Yim and Hyonhee Shin
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South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul. Picture: REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/Pool
Seoul — South Korea’s former defence minister, charged with insurrection for his role in a short-lived martial law attempt, told the court on Thursday he wanted a broader military deployment but was overruled by President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned after the failed December 3 martial law declaration and is now in jail, testified before the nation’s constitutional court, which is deciding whether to reinstate or fully remove Yoon from power after he was impeached on December 14.
Central to Yoon’s defence is that he never intended to impose military rule, using the decree only to break political deadlock.
“Yes,” said Kim when asked by Yoon’s lawyers whether the president had rejected his recommendation to mobilise all military units stationed in Seoul, using about 8,000 troops to seize parliament.
Kim confirmed he had also proposed sending some units to the opposition party headquarters and a left-wing polling firm.
The constitutional court started its trial on December 27 to review charges that Yoon violated his constitutional duty by imposing martial law without justification.
At an earlier hearing, the parliament’s legal team presented testimony from military commanders and video footage of military helicopters landing on parliament grounds with special forces troops breaking into the main building, as well as troops moving in on the National Election Commission.
An opposition Democratic Party MP had condemned “the December 3 insurrection”, saying Yoon and supporters sought chaos by refusing to accept his recent arrest warrant.
On Thursday, South Korea’s anti-corruption agency transferred its case to prosecutors, recommending they indict Yoon for insurrection and abuse of power.
In December Kwak Jong-geun, the commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, told a parliamentary committee he had received multiple telephone calls from Yoon as events unfolded, including an order to “drag out” MPs from parliament.
Kwak, who has since been indicted on insurrection charges, said he chose not to execute that order.
When asked about that report by a Constitutional Court justice on Tuesday, Yoon denied giving such a command.
Troop deployments
The testimony by Kwak differed from earlier statements by military officers that it was Kim who gave the order to extract legislators from parliament's chambers.
On Thursday, Kim conceded he had proposed to Yoon that he declare martial law. He said the president was concerned that the opposition party was obsessed with only three things — protecting the opposition leader from legal liabilities, impeaching government officials and launching special counsel investigations against Yoon.
He quoted Yoon as saying that the opposition's “parliamentary dictatorship and violence had gone out of control” and left no alternative.
About 1,605 soldiers and 3,144 police officers were deployed including to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission, according to indictments against army commanders.
Some of those officers entered the parliament building, including by breaking windows, where they faced off with staff who had used furniture to barricade doors and wielded fire extinguishers.
Yoon rescinded the martial law six hours later after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote against the decree.
Yoon disputed suggestions during Thursday’s that the martial law had been thwarted, saying he always intended it to be a limited operation.
“This wasn’t a failed martial law, it ended a little sooner than expected, as the National Assembly quickly demanded the lifting of it, and I also ordered the withdrawal of the military,” Yoon said.
Kim said he shared names of people who might violate the decree with the defence counterintelligence commander on December 3, but added that it wasn’t an arrest list.
Yoon could be seen occasionally nodding at Kim during the testimony.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Yoon ‘never intended full martial law in South Korea’
Ousted defence minister says he recommended measure but President overruled calls for broader military deployment
Seoul — South Korea’s former defence minister, charged with insurrection for his role in a short-lived martial law attempt, told the court on Thursday he wanted a broader military deployment but was overruled by President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned after the failed December 3 martial law declaration and is now in jail, testified before the nation’s constitutional court, which is deciding whether to reinstate or fully remove Yoon from power after he was impeached on December 14.
Central to Yoon’s defence is that he never intended to impose military rule, using the decree only to break political deadlock.
“Yes,” said Kim when asked by Yoon’s lawyers whether the president had rejected his recommendation to mobilise all military units stationed in Seoul, using about 8,000 troops to seize parliament.
Kim confirmed he had also proposed sending some units to the opposition party headquarters and a left-wing polling firm.
The constitutional court started its trial on December 27 to review charges that Yoon violated his constitutional duty by imposing martial law without justification.
At an earlier hearing, the parliament’s legal team presented testimony from military commanders and video footage of military helicopters landing on parliament grounds with special forces troops breaking into the main building, as well as troops moving in on the National Election Commission.
An opposition Democratic Party MP had condemned “the December 3 insurrection”, saying Yoon and supporters sought chaos by refusing to accept his recent arrest warrant.
On Thursday, South Korea’s anti-corruption agency transferred its case to prosecutors, recommending they indict Yoon for insurrection and abuse of power.
In December Kwak Jong-geun, the commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, told a parliamentary committee he had received multiple telephone calls from Yoon as events unfolded, including an order to “drag out” MPs from parliament.
Kwak, who has since been indicted on insurrection charges, said he chose not to execute that order.
When asked about that report by a Constitutional Court justice on Tuesday, Yoon denied giving such a command.
Troop deployments
The testimony by Kwak differed from earlier statements by military officers that it was Kim who gave the order to extract legislators from parliament's chambers.
On Thursday, Kim conceded he had proposed to Yoon that he declare martial law. He said the president was concerned that the opposition party was obsessed with only three things — protecting the opposition leader from legal liabilities, impeaching government officials and launching special counsel investigations against Yoon.
He quoted Yoon as saying that the opposition's “parliamentary dictatorship and violence had gone out of control” and left no alternative.
About 1,605 soldiers and 3,144 police officers were deployed including to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission, according to indictments against army commanders.
Some of those officers entered the parliament building, including by breaking windows, where they faced off with staff who had used furniture to barricade doors and wielded fire extinguishers.
Yoon rescinded the martial law six hours later after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote against the decree.
Yoon disputed suggestions during Thursday’s that the martial law had been thwarted, saying he always intended it to be a limited operation.
“This wasn’t a failed martial law, it ended a little sooner than expected, as the National Assembly quickly demanded the lifting of it, and I also ordered the withdrawal of the military,” Yoon said.
Kim said he shared names of people who might violate the decree with the defence counterintelligence commander on December 3, but added that it wasn’t an arrest list.
Yoon could be seen occasionally nodding at Kim during the testimony.
Reuters
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