"Military Day Martial Law Likely to Be Declared"... Democratic Party Strengthens Offensive Despite Rumor Criticism

Amid the spread of 'martial law preparation rumors' centered on the pro-Lee Jae-myung (친이재명) hardline members of the Democratic Party of Korea, the party leadership is raising the level of its offensive against the government, emphasizing the 'eradication of the Chungam faction.'

Some hardline members of the Democratic Party are expanding and reproducing suspicions of martial law, saying, "Martial law could be declared on Armed Forces Day (October 1)." Some have expressed sympathy and support, saying, "There is credibility," and "We must protect the National Assembly."

The party leadership also pressured the Blue House to directly clarify the martial law suspicions. At the Supreme Council meeting that day, Kim Min-seok, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said, "The Blue House said to stake Lee Jae-myung's position on the martial law agitation, so which side is lying? Would the president, the chief of staff, and the director of the National Security Office accept a public debate with me?"

He added, "If President Yoon sincerely has no intention of martial law, is he willing to take national guarantees? Will President Yoon continue to use the term 'anti-state forces,' a Nazi-style agitation that justifies the arrest of lawmakers and civilians?" Kim’s remarks indicate that the core of the martial law suspicion is the allegation that Chungam High School alumni, President Yoon’s alma mater, are being favored in the military, and that a direct explanation is necessary.

Kim emphasized, "If the claim that there is no intention of martial law is sincere, will you take national guarantee measures? We will foil the martial law conspiracy through the eradication of the anti-state forces agitation and the military discipline disruption Chungam faction of the Yoon Seok-yeol dictatorship regime, and protect the honor of the military and democracy."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Representative Kim Min-seok are attending and conversing during the floor negotiation group representative speech at the National Assembly on the 5th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Kim Byung-joo, another Supreme Council member, also warned that the 'Chungam faction' is creating discord within the military and shaking military morale. The Democratic Party claims that recently, Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, held a secret meeting with four Chungam High School alumni, including the Commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, and that Kim Yong-hyun, the nominee for Minister of National Defense, also recently held secret meetings with the Commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, the Commander of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, and the Capital Defense Command. Kim explained that these are all military discipline violations that bypassed ministerial reporting, and that the information reported so far was confirmed as true at the National Defense Committee and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts the day before.

In response, the People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party for spreading baseless rumors and demanded concrete evidence. Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, pressured Kim Min-seok of the Democratic Party to present specific evidence of the martial law rumors, saying, "These are words thrown out without any basis or end."

Within political circles, opinions are divided over the Democratic Party’s repeated emphasis on martial law rumors. Since the declaration of martial law is a serious national issue, approaching it recklessly could backfire on the Democratic Party. On the other hand, since the suspicion of the Chungam faction within the military organization is the core of the allegations presented by the Democratic Party, there are also calls for the Blue House to provide additional explanations related to this matter.