"Preparing Martial Law" Anonymous Netizen Comment
President Yoon Suk-yeol lifted the martial law declaration just six hours after announcing it, drawing attention to a netizen who posted a comment hinting at martial law on a YouTube video of Yoon’s alma mater, Chungam High School, three months ago.
On the 4th, several online communities posted a message titled "Chungam High School Entrance Briefing Predicting Martial Law 3 Months Ago" along with image captures. Chungam High School is the high school from which President Yoon graduated.
The captured screenshot shows a comment on a video from Chungam High School’s YouTube account. The video was a "Parents’ Entrance Briefing" from two years ago. The comment read, "Yoon Suk-yeol (Chungam High School), Kim Yong-hyun, Minister of National Defense (Chungam High School), Yeo In-hyung, Commander of the Counterintelligence Command (Chungam High School), Park Jong-seon, Commander of the 777th Command (Chungam High School). These people are said to be preparing martial law. I thought you should know to prepare in advance."
The comment was revisited late that day. Netizens speculated with remarks such as "What is this?", "Who is this person?", "Prophet," and "Did they really know something?"
Earlier, Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun dismissed allegations of so-called "martial law preparations" raised by some opposition members, including the Democratic Party, during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly on September 2nd. When Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won, a former National Intelligence Service official, raised suspicions of the so-called "Chungam faction," likening it to the "Hanahoe" during the Chun Doo-hwan regime, Kim responded by calling it "political agitation." The Chungam faction refers to close associates who graduated from President Yoon’s alma mater, Chungam High School.
Minister Kim also stated during the October National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s military court audit, "The conditions for declaring martial law are set, and even if those conditions are met and martial law is declared, the National Assembly has the authority to lift it."
However, Minister Kim was revealed to be the person who directly recommended President Yoon’s declaration of martial law the day before. Under the current Martial Law Act, the ministers who can recommend martial law to the president are the Minister of National Defense and the Minister of the Interior and Safety.
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