Ministry of the Interior and Safety: "No Proposal for Martial Law Declaration"
Interest in Involvement in Martial Law Declaration
Deputy Prime Minister Lee Ju-ho and Vice Minister of Gender Equality Absent
Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who is authorized to recommend the declaration of martial law to the president, stated that he attended both the Cabinet meetings held immediately before the declaration of martial law and for the resolution to lift it. It has been confirmed that Minister Lee interrupted his schedule the previous afternoon and moved from Ulsan to Seoul, drawing attention to his possible involvement in the declaration of martial law.
The spokesperson office of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 4th, "Minister Lee attended the Cabinet meeting before the emergency martial law declaration and the meeting for lifting it," adding, "He did not recommend the declaration of martial law to President Yoon."
President Yoon held an emergency briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office around 10:25 p.m. the previous night to declare emergency martial law, but the National Assembly plenary session passed a resolution to lift it unanimously in the early morning, lifting the martial law just six hours after its declaration.
In this process, a Cabinet meeting was convened at 9 p.m. the previous night, just before the declaration of martial law, but it is known that the majority of Cabinet members opposed it. Another Cabinet meeting was held at 4:30 a.m. that day, during which the resolution to lift martial law was approved.
Amid this, attention is focused on whether Minister Lee was involved in the declaration of martial law. According to the Martial Law Act, the Minister of National Defense or the Minister of the Interior and Safety may recommend the declaration of martial law to the president through the Prime Minister in situations such as wartime, armed conflict, or equivalent national emergencies. The Ministry of National Defense confirmed that Minister Kim Yong-hyun recommended the declaration of martial law to the president. Both Minister Kim and Minister Lee are alumni of Chung-Ang High School and are close aides to President Yoon.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, on the 3rd, when the president declared emergency martial law, Minister Lee carried out his schedule. He attended the Cabinet meeting at 10 a.m., then moved to Ulsan, attended the National Integration Kimchi-making event at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium from 2:30 p.m., and presided over the Central-Local Policy Council at the Ulsan City Hall main building from 4:25 p.m.
However, it is reported that Minister Lee suddenly left the meeting around 5 p.m. and headed to Seoul. He then arrived in Seoul around 8 p.m. and attended the Cabinet meeting.
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Education spokesperson office, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho, a Cabinet member, did not attend the Cabinet meeting before the declaration of martial law the previous day but did attend the meeting for lifting it.
In the case of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, where the ministerial post is vacant, Shin Young-sook, the acting minister and vice minister, was confirmed not to have been convened for this Cabinet meeting.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
