'I was shocked': Commander of troops that marched on parliament recounts martial law mayhem

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'I was shocked': Commander of troops that marched on parliament recounts martial law mayhem

Published: 07 Dec. 2024, 16:07 Updated: 07 Dec. 2024, 16:37

KIM JEE-HEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A military vehicle in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, in the early hours Wednesday after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law Tuesday night. [NEWS1]

The 1st Airborne Brigade of Korea’s Special Warfare Command was the unit that was directly dispatched to the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law Tuesday night.

Two battalions, consisting of about 250 soldiers in total, were deployed to Yeouido at the time. About 210 soldiers entered the parliamentary grounds while the rest entered the main building of the National Assembly.

“The upper commanders told us to take the lawmakers out of the [National Assembly] even if it means breaking the doors or cutting electricity,” said Brigadier General Lee Sang-hyun, commander of the 1st Airborne Brigade, in a phone interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily. “I was shocked.”

The following is an excerpt of the interview with Lee, edited for clarity.

Brig. Gen. Lee Sang-hyun, head of the 1st Airborne Brigade of Korea’s Special Warfare Command [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Q. When did you first learn about the martial law declaration?

A. Right after emergency martial law was declared. I received a call from Lieutenant General Kwak Jong-geun of the Special Warfare Command. He said, ‘Send two battalions to Yeouido! You [the Brigadier General] should go with them.’

I asked back, 'What’s happening at the National Assembly?' And Kwak just shouted, ‘emergency martial law has just been declared!’ and hung up.

Did you think it was strange to be deployed to the National Assembly?

At first, I thought there had been a terrorist attack. No one knew what was going on even in our intelligence team. Then I remembered that Kwak had ordered me ‘not to distribute live ammunition to the soldiers’ while giving instructions for the deployment. That made me think it might not be a terror situation.

Was it the ammunition instructions that made you confused?

Yes. The commander specifically said ‘live ammunition should be carried by the lieutenants, but each soldier should only carry blank bullets and tasers.’

So I told battalion commanders not to carry live ammunition nor blank bullets and just send the troops in. I told them to leave the ammunition in the armory or in vehicles and to make sure their guns were not facing forward.

Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-geun of the Special Warfare Command [YONHAP]

When did the troops arrive at the National Assembly?

(According to Lee, troops arrived at the National Assembly at around 12:39 a.m. Wednesday morning, recalling that the battalion commanders called him when they arrived on site.)

The battalion commander said National Assembly aides are confronting them, blocking their path by stacking objects. The commander said the 707th Special Mission Group were also alongside them, adding that it seems strange that civilians are blocking their way because if it is a terror attack they would make way for the soldiers to get inside.

Is it at that moment that you realized your troops are in a standoff with civilians?

Yes. Then, I got another call from [Lieutenant General Kwak]. He said, ‘As the lawmakers are trying to vote on [lifting the martial law decree], there was a order from the upper commanders to take them out of the [National Assembly] even if it means breaking the doors or cutting electricity.’

I was shocked.

What did you do after hearing this?

I repeated the order out loud so that I could let the other passenger in the vehicle acknowledge the situation.

I asked back if ‘the upper commanders are ordering us to take lawmakers out of the [National Assembly] even if that means breaking doors, so that we could block them from voting on the motion?’

Then the commander said, ‘Yes, but...’ and then the call was disconnected.

Soldiers pass by the entrace to the main building of the National Assembly in western Seoul on Wednesday, several hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law. [JOONGANG ILBO]

What were you thinking at that moment?

The commander’s voice seemed to suggest that he disagreed. I told battalion commanders, ‘You heard the conversation right? But don’t engage, and pull the troops back.”

I told the second battalion that was just entering the National Assembly to get in their vehicles. I also told soldiers involved in the standoff [with aides and civilians] to retreat. Shortly after, the motion to lift the martial law passed.

We were ordered to [fully] retreat.

How was the atmosphere among the soldiers afterward?

The most urgent situation was over, but there were still strong aftershocks.

There were rumors that the opposition party would punish all the soldiers that were involved. I received reports from officers that the soldiers were anxious.

How did you address the soldiers' anxiety?

I gathered all the soldiers to the auditorium [on Friday]. I told them that ‘I received orders from the higher-ups, but you were following my orders. If you are held responsible, I will die for this.’

I tried to assure them we weren’t on site with any [ill] intensions.

‘We weren’t aware of the situation, so you shouldn’t blame yourselves. Let’s continue to train hard in case [of situations that could involve] North Korea.'

Do you have any message for the soldiers and the public?

As a field commander, I take full responsibility for the decisions I made and the authority I had. I am prepared to accept the consequences. I want to ask the public to comfort and encourage the soldiers. Rather than criticizing them, please embrace them. The commanders had asked the soldiers to just be patient even when they were being hit and kicked. The soldiers endured the whole process. I believe that the soldiers' mature mentality helped prevent aggravating the situation.

BY CHOI SEO-IN, YANG SU-MIN AND KIM JEE-HEE [[email protected]]