"Martial Law Document No Problem" Report... Forced to Sign Confirmation of 'Factually Incorrect'
Two Aides at the Time Also Demanded Prosecution... Charges of Abuse of Authority and Obstruction of Rights
The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCI) has requested the prosecution to indict former Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo on charges of ‘forcible false signature.’ However, since HOCI can only prosecute prosecutors, judges, and high-ranking police officers, it does not have the authority to indict Song for crimes committed during his tenure.
Former Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo. / Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
On the 18th, HOCI announced that it requested the prosecution to indict former Minister Song, retired Army Major General Jeong Hae-il, who was then a military aide, and former Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.
Former Minister Song is accused of forcing his aides to create and sign a fact-checking statement denying reports that he said at a July 2018 meeting that there were ‘no legal issues’ regarding a martial law review document prepared by the Defense Security Command during the Park Geun-hye administration (charge of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights).
It was revealed the following year through then-Assemblyman Lee Cheol-hee of the Democratic Party and the Military Human Rights Center that the Defense Security Command had prepared a document titled ‘Plan for the Execution of Martial Law and Joint Operations’ during the impeachment crisis of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017. Subsequently, reports about former Minister Song’s statement that there was ‘no problem’ sparked controversy over the nature of the document.
Min Byung-sam, then commander of the Ministry of National Defense’s 100th Defense Security Unit (retired colonel), who was reportedly the only one to refuse to sign the fact-checking statement, reported a document titled ‘Minister-led Meeting Summary’ that summarized former Minister Song’s problematic remarks to his superiors.
HOCI viewed the contents specified in the fact-checking statement as prepared by the Ministry of National Defense as part of its media response related to press reports, which falls under the duties of the Military Aide Office and the Spokesperson’s Office. Furthermore, the document was supposed to be created as a record to verify facts, which means the author should have been able to write or express it freely according to their own will. However, former Minister Song and others forced the signatories to sign against their will and repeatedly demanded signatures from attendees who expressed refusal, eventually compelling them to sign.
A HOCI official stated, "After comprehensively reviewing the testimonies of those involved, the circumstances at the time, and supporting evidence, we concluded that the charges of abuse of authority against former Minister Song and others are valid."
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