In August, Claim of 'Government Martial Law'
Then Presidential Office Spokesperson: "No Martial Law"
Kim Min-seok, a Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who had raised the issue of a 'government martial law,' saw it become a reality on the afternoon of the 3rd.
That night, President Yoon held an emergency press conference at the presidential office, declaring, "The National Assembly has become a monster that is collapsing the liberal democratic system," and proclaimed martial law. In response, around 1 a.m. on the 4th, the National Assembly held a plenary session and passed a resolution to lift martial law with unanimous approval from all 190 members present.
Earlier, in August, Council Member Kim had claimed the government was considering martial law, citing the replacement of the Minister of National Defense and President Yoon Seok-yeol's remarks about 'anti-state forces' as evidence. At a press conference, he argued, "The president's continuous claims to eradicate anti-state forces and the motive of the presidential couple to evade investigation increase the likelihood that they are abnormally obsessed with power."
However, Kim’s repeated suspicions about martial law lacked concrete evidence, leading the presidential office and the ruling party to criticize them as conspiracy theories. On September 2, Jeong Hye-jeon, spokesperson for the presidential office, stated at a briefing in Yongsan, "Despite the presidential office's statement that Lee Jae-myung, party leader, and Kim Min-seok, Supreme Council Member, are spreading rumors, they continue to propagate these rumors. While there may be thoughts of martial law in the minds of Democratic Party lawmakers, there is no martial law in our minds."
Kim Min-seok, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
Despite criticism from the government and ruling party, Kim proposed the 'Seoul Spring Four Acts' to strengthen the conditions for declaring martial law. In October, he repeatedly emphasized, "President Yoon is deliberately provoking a crisis on the Korean Peninsula. The domestic situation is very serious."
On the 25th of the same month, after attending the 'Emergency Rally to Condemn the Yoon Seok-yeol Administration's War Provocation and New Northern Wind Campaign' held at the National Assembly Rotunda, Kim met with reporters and said, "They (the government) are definitely preparing to create a war situation and connect it to martial law." He cited text messages between Representative Han Ki-ho of the People Power Party and Shin Won-sik, Director of the National Security Office, as evidence.
Kim pointed out, "What kind of private conversation is it for a four-star general who served as the chairman of the National Defense Committee to tell the National Security Office Director to start a war and use it for their benefit?" He also referred to Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, a junior alumnus of Seoul Chung-Ang High School to President Yoon, visiting the Counterintelligence Command and having a dinner meeting with Commander Yeo In-hyung, also a Chung-Ang High School junior, and two field-grade officers as a clue to the possibility of the government declaring martial law.
He emphasized, "President Yoon will endure even if his approval rating drops not to 1% but to 0.1%." He also warned, "It is said that the U.S. Forces Korea commander told the mayor of Pyeongtaek to inspect air-raid shelters to evacuate citizens," adding, "The greatest crisis has begun."
Kim Min-seok analyzed, "The essence of the crisis is that this administration has actually planned to transfer the flames of foreign war to Korea and use it for domestic politics. Moreover, this is linked to the survival issue of First Lady Kim Geon-hee."
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