Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Justice Minister Park Sung-jae said Wednesday they regret having failed to prevent President Yoon Suk Yeol from declaring martial law last week, stressing that no one agreed with Yoon's idea at the Cabinet meeting held just minutes before he made the declaration.

The Cabinet members said Yoon's sudden, outrageous course of action warranted stronger collective resistance in hindsight. They added that the Cabinet meeting was merely a formality, with the participants' voices carrying no weight.

However, criticism is inevitable because they were the last line of defense against the sudden threat to the rule of law and democracy as well as the subsequent political turmoil that wildly undermined the country's democratic and economic standing.

According to the interior ministry, the pre-declaration Cabinet meeting on Dec. 3 lasted for only about five minutes from 10:17 p.m. The post-declaration meeting the next morning ended in just two minutes after it began 4:27 a.m.

The first meeting was attended by 10 Cabinet members including Park and Han, and the second by 16, including the country's top national security adviser and presidential chief of staff. Then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was present at both meetings. When asked what Kim had said at the meeting, Han said he didn't remember as he was too distraught at that time.

Kim has since been stripped of duty and placed under arrest. He attempted suicide while in custody late Tuesday, but is in stable condition.

"I deeply blame myself for having failed to stop the president despite my consistent efforts," Han said in a statement.

"I will fulfill my duty until the last moment and take full responsibility. I will not make excuses or attempts to evade (accountability)."

The entire course of the martial law fiasco and the far-reaching implications for the public are, he added, a great source of pain and regret.

"I am devastated and regretful that I caused pain and confusion to the citizens," he said. "I apologize to every single citizen."

Han added that the "unprecedented grave status quo should and will be normalized, underpinned by the rule of law."

"National security and public safety will be restored as a result," he said. "The Cabinet is doing the utmost to achieve this goal. I will continue to serve the people whose lifelong faith in me gave me my responsibilities."

Justice Minister Park Sung-jae attends a meeting at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Park said not a single Cabinet member supported the martial law declaration.

"I remember not one member agreed to the idea," he said before the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

The response followed a question on whether Han and Park voiced their opposition.

"The meeting was not in session with the full members present. Everyone said something along the lines of 'We can't do this, not under the circumstances,' as they arrived at the scene."

Park said that no meeting minutes were recorded and that participants shared concerns with one another.

"It was a meeting that was not conducted in an organized manner. I am not in a position to pass judgment on its format. We were all of the same opinion at the time."

Meanwhile, Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Rhee Chang-yong told lawmakers on Tuesday that he heard Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok stormed out of the Cabinet meeting.

"Choi told the members of the financial four meeting that all three should leave except for me since the four-year term of the BOK head is stipulated under the law," he told the lawmakers.

The meeting comprises Rhee, Choi and Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Byoung-hwan and Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun.

"Choi said he would tender his resignation the next day, asking Kim and Lee to join. However, I was adamant that he should stay on as the top economic policy authority to diffuse panic in the economy and financial market."