Kim Byung-hwan, Financial Services Commission Chairman, Absent from Cabinet Meeting Before Martial Law Declaration

Non-Cabinet Member Attendees
Did Not Receive Prior Notice the Day Before

Kim Byung-hwan, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

On the 3rd, it was reported that Kim Byung-hwan, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, did not attend the Cabinet meeting related to President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration and lifting of martial law.

According to financial authorities on the 4th, Chairman Kim did not attend the Cabinet meeting held the previous evening before the declaration of martial law.

Although the Chairman of the Financial Services Commission is not legally a Cabinet member, it is customary for him to attend Cabinet meetings as the head of a major economic department.

Since the Cabinet meeting convened by President Yoon at the Yongsan Presidential Office the previous day was for deliberating the declaration of martial law, it is believed that prior notification was not given even to the Financial Services Commission Chairman.

Along with the Financial Services Commission Chairman, the Fair Trade Commission Chairman, the Mayor of Seoul, and the Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination are not Cabinet members but have the right to attend Cabinet meetings.

As controversy over the legality of the deliberation process at the Cabinet meeting spreads, the National Assembly is showing moves to file complaints regarding the responsibilities of the attending Cabinet members. It is reported that all Cabinet members expressed their intention to resign on the same day (the 4th).