The Night of "Seoul's Spring": Private Yoo Seung-min of the Su-gyeong-sa Unit's Memory

Yoo Seung-min Attends Memorial Service for Lt. Col. Kim Orang
Shares Reflections on SNS: "A True Soldier Who Defended the Democratic Republic"
"Choosing the Difficult Path of Justice Over the Complacent Path of Injustice"

"I sincerely hope that the death of 35-year-old Kim Orang, who chose the arduous path of justice over the complacent path of unexpected injustice, and Kim Orang's soul surviving within us, will give us the courage to fight for justice."

On the 12th, politician Yoo Seung-min visited the memorial ceremony for the late Lieutenant Colonel Kim Orang in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, and shared a meaningful reflection on social media. This is the memory and lesson of Yoo Seung-min as a soldier, not as a former member of the National Assembly, not as a former floor leader of the ruling party, nor as a former presidential candidate. Politician Yoo Seung-min has a special connection with soldier Kim Orang.

During his military service, Yoo Seung-min was at the center of the December 12 Incident, which was the backdrop of the movie Seoul's Spring. On that day, which is called a military rebellion or a coup d'?tat, politician Yoo Seung-min was a private in the 'Capital Defense Command,' the unit responsible for defending the capital.

Former National Assembly member Yoo Seung-min attending the bust memorial ceremony of the late Lieutenant Colonel Kim Orang on the 12th
[Photo by Former National Assembly member Yoo Seung-min Facebook]

Politician Yoo Seung-min said, "When I think of Lieutenant Colonel Kim Orang, I am summoned back to that night of December 12, 1979, at the 33rd Security Unit of the Capital Defense Command in Pil-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, where Private Yoo Seung-min experienced events he never wanted to remember and tried hard to forget."

What kind of memory was the December 12 Incident for politician Yoo Seung-min?

"That day, after dinner, I was cleaning the barracks and going about as usual when suddenly an emergency alarm sounded, and we went on armed alert. At first, I had no idea what was happening, but as I overheard the hurried conversations between officers and non-commissioned officers, I gradually realized the reality of the coup.
The coup leaders had all gathered at the 30th Security Unit at the Blue House, and our unit commander of the 33rd Security Unit was there alone. We in Pil-dong were under the command of the deputy commander, following orders from Commander Jang Tae-wan. Rumors started circulating that the commander had ordered the artillery and mortar companies to prepare to fire at the 30th Security Unit, and that the troops of the 33rd Security Unit and the military police in Pil-dong would storm the Blue House and engage in battle with the 30th Security Unit once the commander's order was given.
That night, units under the Capital Defense Command and the Special Forces were divided into rebel and suppression forces, with the national army pointing guns at itself. We had to watch the officers' bewildered faces as they calculated which side to take to survive amid this ugly insubordination.
However, no battle occurred, and no artillery was fired. At dawn, the military police of the Capital Defense Command arrested all the generals gathered in the commander's office, and rumors spread that one general who resisted was injured by a military police bullet. Soon after, the company commander announced 'the situation is over.' We immediately understood that this meant the coup forces had won and we had lost."

The account shared by politician Yoo Seung-min evokes the story of the movie Seoul's Spring, which is racing toward 10 million viewers. It is a message from a politician who directly witnessed and experienced that situation through the eyes of a soldier, portrayed by actors Jung Woo-sung and Jung Hae-in.

Politician Yoo Seung-min said, "Before dawn, after a brief rest, we gathered again early in the morning at the parade ground to attend the inauguration ceremony of Commander Roh Tae-woo, who had become the Capital Defense Command commander from the 9th Division commander."

On the 44th anniversary of the December 12 military coup, the film "Spring in Seoul," which is based on the December 12 military coup, is being screened at a movie theater in Seoul on the 12th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Politician Yoo Seung-min explained, "While returning ammunition from the Bukak Skyway Buam-dong ammunition depot, we passed through Pil-dong, past the road in front of Danseongsa, and in front of Gwanghwamun by truck. The 9th Division troops, who were supposed to guard the front, were stationed at Gwanghwamun. The following year's Seoul Spring and Gwangju Spring began to take a wrong turn like this."

Politician Yoo Seung-min said he could hardly express in words the emotions he felt when he later heard about the circumstances in which soldier Kim Orang died in battle. He left this message:

"It has been 44 years since the December 12 coup. I visited the memorial ceremony in front of the bust of the late Lieutenant Colonel Kim Orang in Gimhae, Gyeongnam. It rained lightly at dawn and then cleared. 'All power corrupts and degenerates. All power leads to tyranny.' Our Constitution Article 1 defines the democratic republic as a system to prevent the tyranny of power and to make the people the owners of power. The late Lieutenant Colonel Kim Orang was a true soldier who defended the spirit of the democratic republic with a single pistol against the military rebellion. I want to place 'a star shining in the sky of history' on soldier Kim Orang's shoulders."