Ex-defense minister pressured troops to enter Assembly during martial law, says former Army commander

Former Army Special Warfare Commander Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun appears tense while revealing details of his phone conversation with President Yoon Suk Yeol during the short-lived martial law at the National Assembly Defense Committee meeting on Dec.

10. Yonhap By KTimes Kim Yong-hyun, the former defense minister accused of being the mastermind behind the Dec. 3 martial law fiasco, pressured former Army Special Warfare Commander Lt.



Gen. Kwak Jong-keun to deploy troops to the National Assembly. Kim, identified as a key figure behind the short-lived martial law, allegedly made over 10 phone calls to Kwak on the night the decree was declared, urging rapid action.

According to statements obtained by the Hankook Ilbo on Wednesday, Kwak testified during a recent prosecution investigation that "Kim Yong-hyun called me at least 10 times on the day martial law was declared, pushing for the deployment of subordinate units to the National Assembly." After President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, Kim ordered Kwak to send troops to the National Assembly. However, when it became evident that lawmakers might pass a resolution to lift martial law, Kim intensified his demands, repeatedly urging Kwak to act swiftly.

In his urgency, Kwak relayed Kim's orders to field commanders, telling them, "I'm at my wit's end. Assess the situation immediately." Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun responds to questions from lawmakers during the National Assembly Defense Committee meeting, Nov.

28. Yonhap Yoon is also said to have directly contacted Kwak three times. During a National Assembly session on Dec.

10, Kwak revealed that Yoon's second call included instructions to "break down the doors and drag the lawmakers out," as the Assembly had not yet reached the quorum required to pass the resolution. Kwak admitted that he missed Yoon's third call. Despite receiving orders from both Yoon and Kim, Kwak ultimately halted the troops' entry into the Assembly when field commanders reported, "We cannot proceed.

" He instead instructed them to "maintain the current state." The prosecution's special investigation unit has detained Kwak on charges of treason and abuse of authority as the investigation is ongoing. This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

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