hankyoreh

Former defense chief Kim Yong-hyun, Special Warfare Command chief Kwak Jong-geun, Capital Defense Command chief Lee Jin-woo, and Defense Counterintelligence Command chief Yeo In-hyeong. (Yonhap)

Kim Yong-hyun, the former South Korean defense chief who recommended to the president that he declare martial law on Tuesday, admitted to deploying soldiers to the National Assembly to interfere with the vote to lift martial law. 
 
The troops that marched to the National Assembly were affiliated with the Special Warfare Command (SWC) and Capital Defense Command (CDC). The commanders of both forces, Kwak Jong-geun and Lee Jin-woo, respectively, previously participated in a controversial, secretive meeting Kim held at his residence while he was serving as the director of the Presidential Security Service.
 
While the martial law declaration is being slammed as an attempt at insurrection, as it failed to meet any prerequisites and showed contempt for lawful procedures, Kim’s utilization of personal ties to command martial law troops is likely to fuel further condemnations against him for trampling the Constitutional order.
 
When the Hankyoreh asked if troops were sent to the National Assembly after the declaration of martial law was made on Tuesday night to prevent lawmakers from voting on the lifting of martial law, Kim, who was dismissed from his position on Thursday, replied via Telegram, “I deemed it to be the most basic measure that needed to be taken in those circumstances.” 
 
Regarding martial law troops who were sent to the National Election Committee headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Kim said, “Many members of the public suspect there was election fraud, so this was a necessary measure to alleviate those suspicions.” 
 
Kim’s comments are expected to prompt legal debate. Deputy Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho and Army Chief of Staff Park An-su accused Kim Yong-hyun of being the ringleader behind the martial law order during an emergency Q&A session held by the parliamentary national defense committee.
 
Kim Seon-ho, the acting defense minister, claimed to have been notified of the martial law declaration through “media reports,” asserting that, aside from Kim Yong-hyun, no other ministry officials had been warned of the situation. Even Kim Myung-soo, the chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the most powerful active-duty officer in the army, had been left in the dark.
 
Park, the appointed martial law commander, professed, “I knew that the declaration had been made after seeing Yoon’s address.” Park was only notified of his appointment as martial law commander during the military commander meeting held immediately after the invocation of martial law.
 
Park also said that Kim Yong-hyun had said that as defense minister he would “be responsible for all military activities,” and that “refusing to cooperate with orders constitutes insubordination,” before essentially calling all the shots during the entire martial law period.  
 
Park and Kim Sun-ho also contended that it was Kim Yong-hyun who gave the orders to deploy and withdraw troops to the National Assembly. “Kim informed me that Yoon delegated martial law command to him. I was unaware of the deployment of military troops. I was not in control of the situation,” Park said, adding that Yoon visited the Joint Chiefs of Staff command/control center after the National Assembly voted to lift martial law.
 
Democratic Party lawmaker Park Beom-kye decried such activities as “abuse of power and an attempt at insurrection.”
 
The former defense chief is also bound to face criticism over the fact that the martial law troops sent to the National Assembly were associated with the participants of the secretive meeting he held at his residence while he was serving as director of the Presidential Security Service.
 
Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won has argued that the mission of the 280 troops that stormed into the National Assembly, including members of the SWC’s 707th Special Mission Group, the 1st Special Forces Brigade, and the Capital Defense Command’s Special Duty Team was to block the passage of the resolution calling for the lifting of martial law.
 
If reports are to be taken at face value, Kim appears to have marshalled close aides that he could easily manipulate to entrust them with key tasks during the enforcement of martial law.
 
Park said that during the invocation of martial law, “Kwak recommended the use of taser guns and firing of blanks. Since tasers and blanks could pose a danger to the public, I issued a prohibition order against such weapons.”  
 
The involvement of Yeo In-hyung, yet another alumnus of Yoon and Kim’s alma mater, Choongam High School, in the attempted insurrection is also being scrutinized.
 
During a parliamentary security and public administration committee meeting on emergency matters, National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho explained the deployment of troops to National Election Commission headquarters by stating, “I received orders from the defense counterintelligence commander.”
 
Kim Seon-ho stated, “I feel deep remorse for disappointing the people of Korea. Despite holding responsibility as deputy defense minister, I failed to nip danger in the bud and prevent Wednesday’s fiasco. I will take accountability for my actions.” Park tendered his resignation to Kim Yong-hyun the day before, only for it to be rejected.
 
The prosecution service and the National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation issued an exit ban on Kim Yong-hyun, who had been formally accused of insurrection along with Yoon, the day before.
 
By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter; Shin Hyeong-cheol, staff reporter; Son Hyun-soo, staff reporter

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