Top brass talk of blocking parliament, arresting lawmakers, underground detention centers on martial law night

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Top brass talk of blocking parliament, arresting lawmakers, underground detention centers on martial law night

Published: 10 Dec. 2024, 17:18 Updated: 10 Dec. 2024, 18:35

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Army Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jong-keun [YONHAP]

Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, head of the Army Special Warfare Command, said former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun ordered him to limit the number of lawmakers in the National Assembly to less than 150 on Dec. 3, the night of the president's martial law declaration.

“I got orders to make sure no more than 100 to 150 lawmakers were present at the parliament chambers [on the night of martial law],” Kwak told lawmakers in a parliamentary defense committee meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday. Kwak said he was talking on a secure phone at the command center at the time.

Kwak said he did not order his troops to use weapons such as tasers and blank rounds, but the orders that came to him were “broadcast to lower regiments, causing confusion.”

“I knew of this later, but I think the microphone broadcast was on at the time,” said Kwak.

"After receiving that instruction, I explained the situation to the field unit commander and discussed it, concluding that it was clearly restricted and wrong," said Kwak, indicating that he did not follow the directive issued by Kim Yong-hyun.

Army chief Park An-su saltues the flag during a state audit seseion on Oct. 17. [YONHAP]

Army Chief of Staff Park An-su, who served as martial law commander, testified at the National Defense Committee on Thursday that Kwak had proposed the use of tasers and blank ammunition but that he had blocked it. Tuesday’s testimony by Kwak contradicts Park’s statement.

Park said that on Dec. 3, at around 4 p.m., he had a one-on-one meeting with Kim to discuss pending issues.

Kim reportedly told Park to be in the defense minister's waiting room at 9:40 p.m. About an hour later, martial law was declared, and Park moved to the Joint Chiefs of Staff's underground combat control room in the same building, where he was appointed as the martial law commander.

Kwak said he also met with Yoon once in an earlier statement on Friday, where he told liberal Democratic Party (DP) Reps. Kim Byung-joo and Park Sun-won that he had spoken with Yoon once during the martial law declaration, DP Rep. Park Beom-kye pressed him further Tuesday, asking, "Wasn't it actually two calls, not one?"

"Yes, it was two calls,” said Kwak.

Kwak explained that during the first call, Yoon asked about the location of Army Special Forces troops, to which he replied, "They are en route to the National Assembly." However, he declined to elaborate on the contents of the second call, stating, "I am restricted from disclosing that."

Former Counterintelligence Command Commander Lt. Gen. Yeo In-hyung attends an intelligence committee meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Saturday. [YONHAP]

More details of the night of Dec. 3 were disclosed in Tuesday's meeting.

Brig. Gen. Kim Dae-woo, chief of the Defense Counterintelligence Command’s investigation unit, said he was ordered to arrest lawmakers on the night of the martial law declaration.

"Defense Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung ordered me directly on issues regarding arrest and detention centers," he said. Kim went on to say that Yeo requested him to check if the B1 bunker had space to stash the arrested people.

The B1 bunker is a command and control bunker under the jurisdiction of the Army's Capital Defense Command. In a contingency, it serves as the de facto wartime command center for Korea's military, making it a critical military facility.

Yeo said he didn't know if Kim's statements were factual at Tuesday's meeting.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]