Former Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo leaves the Seoul Central Military Court after a warrant review, Monday. Yonhap
Former Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo testified to prosecutors that President Yoon Suk Yeol provided specific methods and instructions for arresting lawmakers during the attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3.
According to Lee, Yoon instructed, "Four soldiers should enter and bring one person out each," implying that the goal was to halt parliamentary functions.
According to sources familiar with the matter, prosecutors from the Special Investigation Headquarters on Martial Law, led by prosecutor Park Se-hyun, questioned Lee and found out that Yoon's directives were issued after he declared martial law at 10:27 p.m. on Dec. 3.
Lee mobilized over 200 personnel, including the 35th Special Mission Battalion and military police, to the National Assembly.
Lee testified to prosecutors that he received multiple calls from Yoon while stationed at the National Assembly, including two where the president instructed him to "go in and drag them out." Yoon directed, "Four people should enter and bring one person out each," and, as the vote to lift martial law approached, called again to reprimand him, saying, "Can't you even manage to bring them out?"
Lee said he responded "Yes" to Yoon's repeated instructions out of confusion but felt upset as his original mission was to defend key facilities.
Afterward, he asked his subordinates if the order could be executed but was told, "It's hard enough to even enter, we can't do it." As a result, he did not issue the same command again.
Among the 200 Capital Defense Command troops deployed, about 40 entered the National Assembly grounds, but none managed to enter the main building, leaving Yoon's order unfulfilled.
Lee explained that after the National Assembly voted to lift martial law, he voluntarily withdrew the troops before Yoon officially announced the termination.
In conversations with lawmakers Kim Byung-joo and Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Lee shared that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun had also expressed concerns about troop movements.
He claimed he instructed soldiers to proceed unarmed, prioritizing civilian safety, a decision he reported to martial law commander Park An-su, who approved it.
Former Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo talks about the martial law incident with lawmakers Kim Byung-joo, left, and Park Sun-won at the Capital Defense Command, Dec. 6. Yonhap
Claims of Yoon's "parliamentary incapacitation" orders are central to determining whether treason charges apply. Yoon's legal team strongly denies the claims, arguing that the president, as a legal expert, would not have used such language.
Lawyer Seok Dong-hyun, involved in Yoon's defense, told reporters Thursday, "President Yoon never used terms like ‘arrest them' or ‘drag them out.'"
However, Kwak Jong-keun, former Special Warfare Commander, testified in a National Assembly hearing on Dec. 10 that Yoon instructed, "Break down the doors and pull out the people inside," citing concerns that the quorum for repealing martial law had not yet been met.
Under Korean law, treason involves actions that disrupt constitutional institutions by force. In a 1997 ruling involving former President Chun Doo-hwan, the Supreme Court clarified that such actions include not only permanently dismantling institutions but also rendering them nonfunctional for an extended period.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is a translated by generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.