Martial Command Headquarters May Be Established Within the Capital Defense Command

Martial Command Headquarters Declares Proclamation No. 1 of Six Articles
Strengthening Military Emergency Surveillance and Emergency Preparedness Measures

The Martial Law Command declared Proclamation No. 1 across the entire Republic of Korea at 11 p.m. on the 3rd. According to the Martial Law Command's proclamation, the Martial Law Commander is Army Chief of Staff Park An-su. The proclamation stated, "To protect liberal democracy from the threat of anti-state forces operating covertly within the Republic of Korea aiming to overthrow the system, and to ensure the safety of the people, it is hereby proclaimed across the entire Republic of Korea as of 23:00 on December 3, 2024," listing six articles.

Yonhap News

△ Prohibition of all political activities including the National Assembly, local councils, political parties, political associations, assemblies, and demonstrations △ Prohibition of any acts denying or attempting to overthrow the liberal democratic system, fake news, public opinion manipulation, and false agitation △ Martial Law Command control over all media and publications △ Prohibition of strikes, work slowdowns, and assemblies that incite social unrest △ All medical personnel, including interns on strike or absent from medical sites, must return to their duties and work diligently within 48 hours (violators will be punished under martial law) △ Measures to minimize inconvenience to law-abiding citizens excluding anti-state and system-overthrowing forces in daily life, among six items.

Furthermore, violators of the above proclamation will be subject to arrest, detention, and search without a warrant under Article 9 (Special Measures by Martial Law Commander) of the Republic of Korea Martial Law Act, and punished under Article 14 (Penalties) of the Martial Law Act.

The proclamation took effect immediately. The declaration of emergency martial law is the first in 44 years since the martial law imposed by the Shin-gunbu under Chun Doo-hwan in 1980.

At around 10:40 p.m. on the 3rd, the Ministry of National Defense notified the press corps via text message that "Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun is holding a meeting with key commanders of all armed forces," and "ordered the strengthening of emergency alert and readiness posture across all forces." Accordingly, commanders of all armed forces, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-soo, Ground Operations Commander, 2nd Operations Commander, and Capital Defense Command, reported to work late that night and entered a state of alert.

The Martial Law Command is likely to be established within the Capital Defense Command. The B-1 document storage at the Capital Defense Command near Gwanaksan Mountain in Seoul, the B-2 document storage in the basement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff building in Yongsan-gu, and the U-3 document storage at the Army, Navy, and Air Force headquarters located in Gyeryongdae, Chungnam, have been exposed amid the martial law controversy. These three locations serve as bunkers functioning as command posts in emergencies.