Army chief who served as martial law commander, other military brass, suspended from duties
Published: 12 Dec. 2024, 11:14
Updated: 12 Dec. 2024, 17:32
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Army Chief of Staff Park An-su speaks during a parliamentary committee meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/12/96091c93-9426-4000-a411-61b88215d767.jpg)
Army Chief of Staff Park An-su speaks during a parliamentary committee meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday. [NEWS1]
Army Chief of Staff Park An-su, who served as commander during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, has been suspended from his duties, said the Ministry of National Defense Thursday.
"[Park] was put on standby at a unit located in the Seoul metropolitan area with an investigation in mind," said the Defense Ministry. "2nd Operations Command commanding general General Ko Chang-jun was designated as the acting chief of staff."
Ko is a graduate of the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon.
Park expressed his desire to resign to then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Dec. 4, the day after the martial law declaration, but was rejected by Yoon and continued to serve.
The Defense Ministry also suspended Defense Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung, Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo, Army Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jong-keun and Defense Intelligence Commander Moon Sang-ho, for their roles in the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.
Director Jeong Seong-woo of the 1st Division of the Defense Counterintelligence Command and Kim Dae-woo, head of the command’s investigation unit, have been suspended from their duties as well.
![Military forces mobilized under the Martial Law are spotted breaking windows of the National Assembly to get inside the chamber on Dec. 4 in a footage aired by local broadcaster MBC. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/12/e5c91bb5-b9ad-4a5b-b18d-9ed1433a2119.jpg)
Military forces mobilized under the Martial Law are spotted breaking windows of the National Assembly to get inside the chamber on Dec. 4 in a footage aired by local broadcaster MBC. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Several military leaders who deployed troops on Dec. 3 are currently under travel bans, making it difficult for them to perform their duties normally.
These include commander Lee Sang-hyun of the 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade under the Special Warfare Command; commander Kim Jeong-geun of the 3rd Airborne Special Forces Brigade; commander Ahn Moo-seong of the 9th Airborne Special Forces Brigade; commander Kim Hyun-tae of the 707th Special Mission Group; commander Kim Se-woon of the Special Operations Aviation Group; and commander Kim Chang-hak of the Military Police Group under the Capital Defense Command.
Furthermore, Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho has temporarily held the position of defense minister since Dec. 5, following the arrest of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on charges including involvement in insurrection.
Concerns over uncertainty have grown, particularly about who the military would take orders from in the event of an emergency, as Yoon's ability to effectively govern the nation has been rendered practically impossible.
"Even if the commander-in-chief issues orders to use force against the people, as seen in this incident, I will not comply," said acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho on Dec. 9, publicly ruling out the possibility of a "second martial law."
However, Kim Seon-ho also said, "If there is a grave security threat caused by the enemy, the president's orders must be followed.”
In the current martial law crisis, Army Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Myung-soo appears to have been sidelined by former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, leaving key figures of the military uninvolved in the relevant decisions.
Update, Dec. 12: Added details on more suspended military officers.
BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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