National security adviser tells court he tried to dissuade Yoon from declaring martial law
Published: 11 Feb. 2025, 18:56
Updated: 11 Feb. 2025, 19:30
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- MICHAEL LEE
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik arrives at the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 11. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/11/f8add361-83da-4b58-8aa7-1da0dfd935bb.jpg)
National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik arrives at the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 11. [YONHAP]
National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik testified that he told President Yoon Suk Yeol not to declare martial law at the seventh hearing of Yoon’s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.
Shin, who was summoned as a witness by both Yoon’s lawyers and the National Assembly’s impeachment investigation committee, said that he “instinctually thought declaring martial law was not an appropriate measure” when the president informed him of his intent to impose martial law on Dec. 3.
Shin was one of four witnesses summoned to speak at Tuesday’s hearing. The others were former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, former National Intelligence Service Third Deputy Director Baek Jong-wook and National Election Commission Secretary General Kim Yong-bin.
Questioning of Shin focused on allegations that Yoon had mentioned declaring martial law at a dinner party last spring that was also attended by National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong, then-Defense Counterintelligence Command chief Lt. Gen. Yeo In-hyeong and Kim Yong-hyun, who was then serving as chief of the Presidential Security Service.
At the time, Shin was serving as defense minister. Kim later replaced him in the post, but stepped down in early December after being accused of trying to enforce Yoon’s martial law decree.
During his testimony, Shin said he tried to steer Yoon away from the idea of declaring martial law when the president mentioned “in passing” that “troops could play a role in politics.”
Shin said he responded by saying that such use of the military “would not be useful in light of the country’s history and political culture.”
The national security adviser noted that he came to oppose the use of martial law as a Korea Military Academy cadet in December 1979, when then-Maj. Gen. Chun Doo Hwan initiated a coup d’état and suspended the country’s civilian government.
Shin added that both he and Cho advised Yoon against declaring martial law because they believed the move “would not be accepted by Korea’s international partners and diminish the country’s standing abroad.”
Shin testified after former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, who told the court that Yoon did not order him to cut off power and water to certain media companies the night he declared martial law.
![Former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min speaks at the seventh hearing of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 11. [CONSTITUTIONAL COURT]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/11/382bb951-3542-4294-a788-5ebfa693c5ac.jpg)
Former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min speaks at the seventh hearing of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 11. [CONSTITUTIONAL COURT]
Although Lee acknowledged phoning the chief of the country’s firefighting and emergency services on the night of Dec. 3, he claimed that call was “only to request thorough attention to public safety.”
Lee’s testimony appeared to clash with prosecutors’ claims that Yoon directed Lee during the Dec. 3 Cabinet meeting to shut off electricity and water to left-leaning newspapers Kyunghyang Shinmun and Hankyoreh as well as broadcasters MBC and JTBC and polling company Ggot.
“If the president had given me such an order, I would have relayed it as quickly as possible in that kind of situation instead of delaying for over two hours before calling the fire chief,” Lee said.
Lee also testified that no Cabinet members explicitly supported or opposed Yoon's plan to declare martial law, contradicting previous remarks by both acting President Choi Sang-mok and Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul that they actively tried to dissuade the president.
According to Lee, none of the ministers present at the Dec. 3 Cabinet meeting believed the plan to declare martial law to be unconstitutional, but some expressed concerns about how the decree might be received by the public and its potential impact on the country’s economy and foreign relations.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Yoon argued that the involvement of multiple agencies in the investigation into his martial law declaration had caused witness statements to become “inconsistent.”
“The investigation was not carried out comprehensively by a single agency. Instead, multiple authorities rushed in, resulting in a disorganized investigation mixed with records from National Assembly hearings,” Yoon told the justices.
He also called on the court to “thoroughly review” the “discrepancies” in witness statements.
In response, acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said the justices would discuss the issue.
The eighth and final hearing of Yoon’s impeachment trial is scheduled for Thursday.
Though the Constitutional Court may schedule more hearings, a spokesperson said Monday that the court has “not yet reached a decision” about whether to hear more oral testimonies in the case.
BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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