Col. Kim Hyun-tae, head of the Army's 707th Special Mission Group, speaks in a press conference about his unit's involvement during the short-lived martial law imposition earlier in the month near the defense ministry's compound in Seoul, Dec. 9. Yonhap

The head of a special forces unit involved in last week's martial law enforcement said Monday his soldiers are victims used by former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and vowed to take full responsibility over his unit's actions.

Col. Kim Hyun-tae, head of the 707th Special Mission Group, made the accusation against Kim, as the prosecution has kicked off an investigation into the former minister on treason charges over President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration.

"Troops of the 707th unit are the most unfortunate victims used by former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun," Kim said in a press conference near the presidential office in central Seoul.

He said he would bear all legal responsibility, calling himself an "incompetent and irresponsible" commander and saying his troops were only at fault for following his orders.

Members of the 707th Special Mission Group were mobilized to storm the National Assembly after Yoon declared martial law Tuesday night in a surprise move reportedly at the former defense chief's proposal.

Yoon rescinded the decree after lawmakers unanimously voted to reject it, and accepted the minister's resignation on Thursday.

During Monday's press conference, Kim unveiled details about his troops' operation last week, noting that Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, head of the army's Special Warfare Command, asked whether he could prevent 150 lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.

Kim said that Kwak's remarks appeared to reflect concern over the National Assembly convening a session to pass a motion to demand Yoon lift the decree.

He also said the order regarding the lawmakers appeared to have been issued by former Defense Minister Kim, noting that his unit was first ordered to quickly secure and seal off the National Assembly.

Kim added that his troops had conducted drills around April and May to deploy helicopters to Nodeul Island on the Han River in Seoul.

He said Kwak had increasingly expressed the possibility of a provocation by North Korea in Seoul recently, and called for holding drills similar to those earlier this year on the day of the martial law enforcement.

The 707th Special Mission Group is an elite Army special operations unit tasked with counterterrorism operations. Kim's press conference came as a surprise as the identities of the unit's personnel are classified. (Yonhap)