Seoul: Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun directed military troops to infiltrate the National Assembly and obstruct lawmakers from entering the premises during a brief period of martial law, as revealed by Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho on Thursday. This revelation comes amidst the political upheaval in South Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law, which was annulled after six hours by an Assembly vote demanding its withdrawal.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Vice Minister Kim Seon-ho disclosed this information during a parliamentary session in response to a lawmaker’s inquiry. The session took place as the nation grappled with the fallout from President Yoon’s attempted martial law declaration late Tuesday. The presidential office announced on Thursday that President Yoon has accepted the resignation of the former defense minister, who was the proponent of the martial law declaration.

Vice Minister Kim expressed a deep sense of regret, apologizing to the pub
lic and acknowledging his failure to prevent the situation. He admitted to opposing the troop deployment and recognized his accountability for the oversight, noting that he first learned about the martial law declaration through media reports. During the session, Kim also responded to Rep. Cho Kuk of the Korea Rebuilding Party, disagreeing with President Yoon’s characterization of the Assembly as “a den of criminals.”

Further inquiries revealed that Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su, who was appointed as the martial law commander, became aware of the declaration through President Yoon’s televised speech. General Park informed lawmakers that he had recommended a legal review of the martial law decree prior to its public disclosure, but was assured by the former defense chief that the necessary steps had been completed.

General Park also mentioned his unawareness regarding whether the deployed troops were armed with live ammunition. He utilized the former defense chief’s mobile phone to coordinate with poli
ce chief Cho Ji-ho and other senior military officials for additional police deployment. Additionally, Park recounted President Yoon’s visit to the Joint Chiefs of Staff building, where the martial law command was situated, though he could not recall specific conversations that took place during the visit.

President Yoon’s unexpected declaration of martial law occurred in a late-night announcement shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by General Park’s announcement of the martial decree prohibiting political activities. In the aftermath, General Park disclosed that he had offered his resignation to the former defense minister on Wednesday.