hankyoreh

A TV at Seoul Station plays a news broadcast about President Yoon Suk-yeol declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. (Yonhap)

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is suspected of mounting an insurrection with his declaration of martial law earlier this month, reportedly called together key figures in late March to announce his active plans to implement martial law.

The figures who reportedly gathered at the time were then-Minister of National Defense and current Director of the National Security Office Shin Won-sik, National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Cho Tae-yong, and Presidential Security Service chief Kim Yong-hyun.

If Yoon did in fact intend to declare martial law after communicating this to the Ministry of National Defense and NIS leaders who would play key roles in the event of a declaration, this would raise suspicions that his aim was to stop the general election outright and neutralize the National Assembly in response to declines in the approval ratings of the ruling People Power Party due to various factors.

According to the Hankyoreh’s investigation on Sunday, Yoon summoned Shin, Cho and Kim along with several military officials to a presidential safe house in Seoul’s Samcheong neighborhood for dinner in late March. During the occasion, Yoon expressed intense anger over the political situation and expressed the need to “declare martial law in the near future,” sources said.

Shin, Cho, and other attendees at the dinner reportedly attempted to actively dissuade him, suggesting the intense and concrete nature of his commitment to declaring martial law.

Yoon also reportedly summoned Shin, Cho (who was director of the National Security Office at the time), Kim, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Myung-soo to his presidential residence in Seoul’s Hannam neighborhood in late December 2023 for a meeting in which he mentioned martial law and emergency presidential powers.

According to sources, he did not forcefully communicate his intent to actually declare martial law at the time, and the attendees did not feel compelled to actively dissuade him. This suggests that his resolve to declare martial law had intensified by late March 2024.

When Cho was asked by the Hankyoreh whether Yoon mentioned martial law during the December 2023 and March 2024 encountered at his presidential residence and safe house, the response communicated by way of the NIS stated that Cho had “attended a gathering of an encouragement nature, but there was no discussion of martial law.”

The prosecutors’ special investigation headquarters for the martial law incident, with Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office chief Park Se-hyeon as director, recently summoned Cho for questioning, during which he was asked extensively about Yoon’s discussions of martial law and orders to arrest politicians.

By Kang Jae-gu, staff reporter; Bae Ji-hyun, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]